Harry Potter and The Truth
by KennethRose
Summary: Not HBP or DH compliant. Harry finds out something that tears his world apart at the beginning of his sixth year; how will he cope with the truth? Follow Harry through love, betrayal, deception and friendship in the ultimate fight against the Dark.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well here we go: my first Harry Potter fanfic. Now let me make this clear, here, right now: this work of fiction does not comply with the Half-Blood Prince, or the Deathly Hallows. **

**Secondly, some of the dates aren't spot on – although they are reasonably close to what they were supposed to be; and there **_**will**_** be Dumbledore and Ron/Ginny/Molly bashing: it's just something that I felt the need to have – because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. **

**Thirdly, the size of the chapters will vary quite substantially – because when I wrote it, I didn't have chapters in mind. Lastly, this fic is actually already finished/complete/done, whatever you want to call it. It has been sitting, stagnant, on my hard drive for several months gaining dust, and I just recently decided to finish the last few chapters. **

**This fiction is rated – as stated in the summary – M for violence and language; which there is not much of in the first 40ish thousand words of the book. I hope you enjoy the story; updates will be posted daily until it is finished. I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry Potter had had one hell of a day. Being the first day back at Hogwarts, it was horrible; breakfast was rushed as everybody in Gryffindor – except Hermione - tried to get back into the routine of waking up early; the first class teachers rushed to update the students on the new rules and regulations that would have to be followed from that year onwards, and inform them about the specifics of their end-for-year exams; and the rest of the day was filled with frantic note-scribbling and headaches for the black-haired youth. By the time school had finished for the day, Harry was absolutely, utterly and unquestionably knackered.

He'd managed to get away from Ron's constant pestering, insisting that he have a game of Wizard's Chess, and played the card that he hated using: that he needed to be alone. Immediately Ron's badgering had ceased, and Hermione's face had dropped as thoughts of him coping with the death of Sirius swam into her head. Harry hadn't missed the look of pity on both of their faces, and he had hurriedly left them standing in the corridor to escape their expressions. He had needed to be alone, that was true, but it wasn't for the reasons that he had put to his two friends of six years – he needed to think. For the past year he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right; it felt as though every memory, every second of his life was tainted by an invisible shadow that seemed to slither past every attempt Harry made to identify it. Harry didn't like the feeling that he wasn't in control of his life at all, and the fact that the feeling resembled a snake did nothing to ease his nerves.

It wasn't any surprise to Harry when he looked up to see where his feet had carried him and saw the entrance to Dumbledore's office; the elderly Headmaster always had the answers. Once Harry had walked up the steps that emerged at the password, he knocked on the finely engraved door, waiting for a few seconds before entering. The room looked as it always had – the shelves around the expanse holding instruments of unknown purpose, some of them humming and excreting bursts of steam, while others just sat – mysterious as ever. The eyes of the portraits followed him where he walked, and the raven-haired man couldn't help but chuckle when he picked up a lemon drop from a bowl residing by the door, a piece of parchment attached simply saying "Enjoy".

Fawkes regarded the young Wizard with an odd look in his piercing, yellow eyes, and Harry found himself averting his gaze to escape the penetrating stare from the Phoenix. He walked around the room for a few more minutes, occasionally reaching out and tapping the odd machine or object on the shelves, but making sure to check them with a diagnostic spell before he did; not wanting a repeat of one of his earlier expeditions around the shelves. Half a year previously one instrument had seen fit to transfigure him into a startlingly large Phoenix – something that Dumbledore had been equally amazed at when he transfigured the shaken student back to his original form.

After his journey around the office, he sighed: the only thing missing being the presence of the white-haired Headmaster – the only reason he was really there in the first place. He was about to leave the room when a book on the Headmaster's desk caught his attention. He knew it was none of his business, and the delicate gold engravings on the cover only emphasized that fact, but in the end – as always- a frustrated Harry found that his curiosity had once again got the better of him. He walked warily towards the desk, almost as if expecting the aging Headmaster to apparate right in front of him and loudly berate him for his actions, before leaning over the tome and observing it closely.

He was amazed at the intricacy of the design, the gold seemingly having been woven into the fibres – a feat which no muggle could have achieved – and the twisting twirls of the glittering metal flowing across the deep red cover as if it was a river in a dusty desert. Still keeping his hands at his sides, he leant down to peer at the spine of the grand book, and his eyes widened when he saw the title, regally proclaiming that it was the journal of one "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore". Harry let out a surprised gurgle as he realized the importance, value, and wealth of information that was mere inches away from him – and a laugh followed his comprehension.

"I see you recognize the significance of that book."

Harry's head whipped around in search of the voice, and finally he managed to trace it back to one of the portraits hanging on the wall. The glinting eyes and smiling face of the ex-Headmaster Armando Dippet looked down at him with a friendly and mischievous smile. After getting over the shock of being talked to by one of the portraits – something that he thought he would've been used to by now – he managed to stutter back a few words. "I'm sorry sir, I was just-"

Armando's chuckling interrupted his hurried excuse. "There's no need to explain to me my friend, in fact I feel that you should be able to read exactly what's in that book – most of it concerns you anyway." In the latter part of his speech, the humour left his voice and a frown appeared on his face. This wasn't missed by Harry, who had taken a seat in anticipation of a long chat with the old Headmaster. Harry waited for the man to continue, and was surprised at his words when he did. "I've wanted to speak to you for quite some time Harry – if I can call you that?" At Harry's surprised nod he carried on. "But I couldn't, quite simply because Dumbledore prevented me from doing so."

"But why would he do that sir?"

Armando nodded around to the other portraits and found them to be listening intently to the conversation taking place, nodding in agreement at the old Headmaster's last comment. "Well, Harry, because of what is written in that book that you were so intently studying." The young Wizard was once again about to interrupt to defend himself, but was silenced by Armando's raised hand. "As I said, you don't have to explain yourself to me – in fact I should be explaining myself to you." The old man disappeared off the side of the frame and returned a moment later with a chair which he sat in. "I've been here for the entire time that Dumbledore has been the principal of this institution, and during that time I have found myself all too frequently appalled, horrified and disgusted at things that have taken place within these stone walls."

He motioned to the room around them and Harry frowned. "I don't understand sir."

The white-haired portrait looked down at him sorrowfully. "You do, but you're not allowing yourself to believe it – you've been programmed not to." Seeing that the raven-haired man was once again going to ask a question, the ex-Headmaster continued before he could be interrupted. "The things that have disgusted me, Harry, are things that Dumbledore has done. The man that you know as the face of the light, the most powerful Wizard alive, the caring grandfather figure, the trustworthy friend and your unwavering supporter is a lie Harry – and trust me when I say that I don't enjoy telling you this."

Harry stared at the portrait in astonishment, but a moment later a scowl spread across his face and he stood from his seat. "I don't know what you're trying to do sir, but I don't appreciate you lying about the man who has helped me throughout my entire life."

He quickly turned on his heel, and had just reached the door when the portrait said six words that made him freeze in his tracks. "I know you've felt it Harry." Seeing that his words had hit a nerve, the old man continued, his voice urgent and forceful. "You've felt the control slipping from your grasp, and there are only a handful of people who could achieve such a thing."

The boy-who-lived slowly turned around and faced the man once again, allowing his hand to drop from the large handle of the door. Seeing the truth in his eyes made something in Harry snap, and he strode over to the desk, reaching out his hand to the grand tome, his fingers about to touch its plush cover-

"STOP!" Harry's hand froze mere millimetres from the red surface, and the desperation in Armando's voice became evident with his next words. "Don't do it Harry; if you touch that book he will know within seconds. The wards will trigger and you will be paralysed, and at his mercy when he returns." Harry turned to look into the portrait's serious eyes. "And he doesn't have any mercy Harry. You touch that book, and the rest of your life will be a lie as well."

Harry searched the painting's eyes for any sign of deception, and finding none slowly withdrew his fingers, returning them to his robe's pocket and sitting in the seat he had recently vacated in anger. After a few moments of silence he spoke. "You said that there were only a handful of people who could do such a thing." He met the old man's eyes, his green orbs deadly serious. "Who?"

Seeing that the young man was giving him a chance, the portrait nodded gravely. "I did indeed say that. The first person you already know, it is in his office that we speak. The second is Voldemort, although his intervention wouldn't affect you as much as he'd like to think, but there is one final person who could do such a thing; your soul mate." Harry's eyebrow quirked disbelievingly and for the second time that day, the old painting raised his hand in anticipation of the coming question. "I cannot tell you who it is Harry, such things are forbidden, but I can tell you that she would never do such a thing to you; she would rather die."

"Is it Ginny?"

The old man's nose wrinkled in blatant disgust, and he snorted. "That slag? Hell no Harry, your soul mate couldn't be further from what Ms Weasley is." He squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I really wish I could tell you who it is Harry, but I have a feeling that soon you'll find out once I've finished talking with you." He pointed at the diary sitting ominously on the desk. "Every word that old, manipulative bastard has written in that book Harry, all of us," he motioned to all of the portraits around the room, "can remember." He leant forwards in the picture and frowned at Harry. "What I'm about to tell you Harry, is something that Dumbledore would obliviate you for knowing, and destroy us for telling you."

Harry frowned at the seriousness in Armando's voice, but leant forward as well. "Harry, once you know what we know, I ask you to do two things, and you must swear upon an unbreakable vow to uphold them." Looking curious Harry nodded, and the ex-Headmaster laid out his terms. "Firstly you must go to the fifth floor, and pace seven times in front of the statue of Boris the Bewildered whilst repeating the phrase 'I am worthy'. Enter the resulting room, read the book inside, and follow its instruction to the letter. Do you agree to this term?"

"Yes." With a white flash Harry's vow was accepted, and Armando nodded before laying out the second condition.

"And lastly, you must act as if nothing is different in front of everybody but your soul mate– or people we deem safe - which will include staying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You must do this until the beginning of your seventh year at this institution. Do you agree to this term?"

Harry looked at the portrait suspiciously. "Why would I want to leave?"

The two men's gazes locked. "Because, Harry, when I said that some of the things that Dumbledore has done in this room horrified me, I was not joking – and once you find out how he has controlled you, and by extension your life, I would not be surprised if you wanted to leave." He frowned. "But you must not; you must stay and make him think he has the upper hand Harry – you're the true Wizard of the light." After a moment of serious silence, the elderly Wizard cracked a smile. "Anyways, your soul mate is here, and I just know you'll want to meet her." His smile softened. "She wants you as well Harry, and I'm sure you'll see that once you've come from the room on the fifth floor."

Harry sat still for a few moments before nodding. "I, Harry Potter, swear on my magic and my life to abide by all of the terms that the portrait of Armando Dippet has set forth in regards this exchange, so mote it be."

A blue swirl coiled around Harry's body and with a blinding flash disappeared, leaving all of the portraits looking at Harry in absolute shock. Dilys Derwent was the first to comment on his action, awe clearly recognizable in her tone; not only would he die if he broke the vow, but his magic would actively prevent him from breaking the promise made. "That spell…I didn't think it possible for it to be cast without the text."

Harry looked bashfully at the floor. "I memorised the incantation." Silence rocketed across the room; everyone well aware the length of the incantation that the vower had to recite in their head whilst saying the verbal terms aloud was substantial.

Armando broke the silence with an elated laugh, "Merlin's Beard, Dumbledore won't know what the hell happened when you hit seventh year!" He chuckled for a few more seconds before catching sight of Harry's confused look and sobering slightly. "Once again Harry, it'll become clear once you come out of the room on the fifth floor." He frowned. "If you survive it that is."

Harry's eyebrows rocketed upwards. "If I survive it?"

Seeing Harry's obvious distress the old man held up his hands defensively. "In the end it's up to you Harry; you swore to follow the instructions in the book to the letter – and the book clearly gives you the instruction to decide whether or not you wish to continue." Harry's shoulders relaxed slightly, and the ex-Headmaster continued. "The reason that you may not survive it is because only one person has ever attempted it, and he survived – we're just not sure if you will."

"Who was the Wizard that survived?"

Dilys was the one that answered, and with a hint of worry in her voice. "Godric Gryffindor." Harry's jaw fell open and Dilys fixed him with a pleading look. "Only Armando and I have managed to break free of Dumbledore's silence spells, but I think I speak for all of us when I beg you to not take the easiest road." Nods from all of the other portraits confirmed their feelings on the matter. "Please Harry, if you don't do this then there's no chance that Dumbledore won't take over once you're dead."

"Once I'm dead?"

"Harry, we'll come to that – but please take what Dilys said to heart."

Harry face displayed an expression of stricken anxiety, and he looked wildly around at the portraits in the room as if to check for any hint of it being a joke. After at least a minute of searching, and not a hint of a smile being found, the portraits witnessed Harry slouching into the chair with a look of defeat on his face. "Fine, I'll keep it in mind – but I'll still make the final choice."

Dilys' look of relief and hope was mirrored on the faces of all the other paintings, and her words received enthusiastic nods of agreement. "That's all we're asking for Harry."

Harry nodded respectfully to the grey haired ex-Headmistress, and after receiving a warm smile in return turned back to the ex-Headmaster of Hogwarts with a raised eyebrow and inquisitive tone to his voice. "So what's this about me dying?"

Over the next four hours, Harry's jaw dropped progressively lower and lower, and his anger progressively took a hold of his thoughts. The web of deception that the man Harry had previously thought of as his grandfather had spun was astounding, appalling, and made Harry want to throw up. From his miserable life at the Dursleys – the choice to place him there in the first place, a choice where Dumbledore had favoured the abusive Dursleys over Remus Lupin's care – to the manipulation of both him and his friends through the use of hundreds, possibly even thousands of memory modifications, compulsion charms, and even the odd potion; it was all orchestrated by the genius that was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

From the moment he was marked by Voldemort and his parents were killed Dumbledore had manipulated Harry's life to give him the perfect base on which to build his power, fame, respect, and in the end what he planned to be his control over the entire Wizarding world. Finally the portrait stopped speaking, and he could clearly see the fury in Harry's eyes. "Harry, keeping such anger inside you will not benefit anybody, except maybe Voldemort. Feel free to let loose; we'll walk you through the reparation spells once you are done." And let loose he did. A whirlwind of raw, untamed magic burst forth from Harry, shattering every single glass object in the room, disintegrating books, melting metal, and most interestingly, destroying every single ward that the room had except for the diary that was now sitting in the splinters that used to be Dumbledore's desk.

After another hour of repairing the wards, and the ridiculous amounts of broken or vaporised objects, Harry finally sat back down in his chair – probably the only thing in the room – save for the portraits - that had come through Harry's anger-fuelled magic outburst unscathed. The raven-haired boy let out a calming sigh and muttered a drying charm on his sweat-soaked clothing before closing his eyes for a few moments. The anger hadn't lessened at all, but it had changed. In harsh contrast with the violent, all-encompassing anger that had flowed through him moments before, the anger that ran through his veins now was deeper, more controlled – an anger that he had much experience with, having lived with the Dursley family for his entire life.

Slowly his lids rose, and the portraits were faced with the startlingly emerald orbs that seemed to glow with newfound power. "Thank you." He nodded at each of the portraits in turn. "Thank you for revealing all of this to me, you have no idea just how thankful I am for the risk you are all taking in informing me of Dumbledore's true nature and future plans."

He then singled out the portraits of Dilys Derwent and Armando Dippet specifically. "I realise that both of you have undertaken a bigger risk that all of the others by actually breaking through Dumbledore's spell work, and I am certain that he will notice the breach very soon." Judging by the looks in their eyes, he was correct, and he fixed them both with serious looks. "Armando, what branch of magic are you most experienced in?"

Armando gave Harry an odd look, wondering why he would ask such a thing, but answered all the same. "I may not look it Harry, but I am a Master of Battle Magics, and I often taught the Animagus classes at the Ministry when I had some free time on my schedule."

A small grin tweaked the corners of Harry's lips, and he turned to Dilys next. Guessing his question correctly, she answered. "I specialise in healing Harry. May I enquire as to why you wish to know?"

Harry's serious look sobered any jovial mood in the room. "I don't know who to trust anymore; I don't know who my soul mate is; I just found out that the person who I considered a grandfather is the biggest manipulator of all time; I have no real training to fight Voldemort. I will always be looking over my back with my friends because I'll know that as soon as I tell them anything of importance then they will go and tell Dumbledore – even if they are not consciously aware of doing so." He nodded at the two of them. "You are the only two people that I can truly trust at the current time. My soul mate will one day join the group of people I can trust, but until that point I only have you two."

Harry looked around the room and searched shelves that he had so recently repaired for an instrument he had seen during his studies. When he located it, he walked over and gingerly lifted it from its resting place, taking special note of what position it was in before returning to face the paintings once again. "With your permission, I want to remove you from this office and have you as my advisors, teachers, friends, and confidants."

He motioned to the instrument when Dilys opened her mouth to ask how he intended to break the sticking wards, and Armando laughed aloud at the sheer audacity and cheek of the young Wizard. "Using _his_ prized instrument against him – I like you."

Harry grinned. "Another reason I want to release you two is because I like you." He sat silent for a moment deep in thought before looking back up at them. "So, what do you think?"

Dilys didn't even need to think about the question, and she smiled happily down at him before answering for the both of them. "We'd love to help." Harry's eyes lit up at her answer and he immediately got to work on the two paintings. After half an hour of climbing up walls, muttering incantations, and the use of some nifty spell work under the guidance of his two new mentors, some realistic replicates were stuck to the wall where the real paintings used to reside. The irony was that Dumbledore's precious instrument had aided in placing the exact same sticking wards onto the replicas so that nothing would seem amiss to the observant eye of Dumbledore when he returned from his Ministry conference.

Harry shrunk the two portraits so that they could fit comfortably in his pocket and sat them on Dumbledore's desk facing him. "I guess it's time for me to hold up my end of the bargain and go to that room, isn't it?"

Dilys nodded, but the portrait of Armando shook his head. Both the ex-Headmistress and the student fixed him with identical, quizzical looks and he explained the last task to Harry. "Fawkes, Harry."

Harry frowned. "What about him?"

The Phoenix trilled from his perch and Harry couldn't stop the expected onrush of happiness invade his mind – not that he would've wanted to in the first place, as it made the depression and anger seem smaller, and far more bearable. Armando smiled at the slight look of relief on Harry's face, "Phoenixes are creatures of the light Harry, and although hasn't happened once in the history of the world, they _can_ change owners." Harry turned to the Phoenix in amazement, and the bird cocked its head and stared into his eyes.

What happened next nearly made Harry fall from his chair. "He's right you know."

After recovering from the shock of the bird speaking, which included a rather large amount of spluttering on Harry's part, he somehow forced some words from his mouth. "You can talk?"

The majestic bird cocked its head to the side. "Not really, I'm in your head; the amount of scarring from the obliviates is astounding." The bird frowned after another few moments. "And I'm going to have to talk to you about paying those Dursleys back for all the pain they have put you through; nobody hurts my Master."

If Harry's eyebrows weren't already high enough to be covered by his raven hair, they would've been after that comment. "Your Master?"

The friendly bird seemed to shake himself before turning back to Harry, an apologetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Harry, I am being too hasty." With a nod in Armando's direction the Phoenix continued. "What Headmaster Dippet is saying is that we Phoenixes are creatures of the light; of good." What could have been interpreted as a frown crossed the bird's features. "What Dumbledore has done is far from what is, and could be considered as light and as such I broke the bond between us several years ago – something which he has not yet discovered." With a simple flap on his magnificent wings, the Phoenix landed on the table in front of Harry.

When Harry unconsciously reached out and scratched under the birds chin, Fawkes trilled merrily, something that brought Harry out of his reverie. He thought for a few seconds before slowly confirming his suspicions with the magical creature. "So you want me to take you as my familiar, and leave Dumbledore?" The bird nodded and awaited Harry's next move. It was a long time coming, but Fawkes was happy to wait until the end of time for his prospective master. After ten minutes of hard contemplation, Harry cleared his throat, and Fawkes raised his head expectantly. "Dumbledore will wonder where you went." Fawkes shook his head, an evil glint in his eye, and Harry let the matter be, deciding that he would rather not know what the Phoenix had in mind. "And where will you stay?"

"In your dormitory of course."

Harry's eyebrows, having returned to their normal positions a few minutes previously, shot back up past under his fringe at the Phoenixes suggestion. "That could be a little…conspicuous, don't you think?"

"Not if you don't talk to me."

"But I need to talk to-"

"I'm in your head Harry." Harry looked into the amused golden orbs of the Phoenix and had the grace to blush, causing the graceful bird to screech in laughter. After a moment the bird sobered and looked back into Harry's eyes. "Since you are currently not my Master, I have to look into your eyes to talk to you – when they said that the eyes are the gateway to the soul they weren't joking."

"And if I take you as my familiar?"

If the Phoenix could grin, he would have – but the beak hindered the action. "Anytime, anywhere." He read Harry's mind and answered even before he could ask the question. "Your roommates will not be aware of my presence; I will simply shroud your and my magical signature and cast an undetectable ward over the room to make me visible to your eyes only."

"Why shroud my magical signature?"

"Well it's going to be rather large and obvious once you've completed the ritual." It cocked its head for a moment and then seemed to add the next words as an afterthought. "I'll need to maintain the spell constantly actually; anybody with half a brain will notice the change in you once you come out of that room."

Guessing correctly that the ritual Fawkes was referring to was the one that he would undertake on the fifth floor he nodded, trusting that the bird knew what he was talking about. "Okay then; I'd be happy to have you as my friend and familiar."

The bird stood, shocked for a moment before lifting his head to the roof and allowing the happiness inside to flow out through a song, a sound which left every person and portrait in the room feeling rather lightheaded and giddy. After all parties had recovered, the Phoenix nudged Harry's hand. "Scratch me again." Harry nodded and began stroking the birds chin once again, but pulled back when he felt a heat begin to creep up his fingers. Fawkes looked up at the loss of contact, and then a sudden realisation swam into his eyes. "Ah, sorry about that. That's the bonding, Harry. You can pull away at any time you want, but the bonding ritual will have to be restarted."

Having decided to trust the friendly Phoenix from the moment the offer of Fawkes being his familiar arose, Harry resumed his stroking of the feathered chin – allowing the warmth to spread up his arm and into his chest. Slowly the heat consumed his entire body, and eventually slipped up his neck to surround his head. The Phoenix's voice seemed to come from all around Harry at that moment. "This is the final step Harry; once you let me in, your memories, your feelings, everything that you are will be shared with me, and the same will happen to you. It will be a little overwhelming at first; I am over one thousand years old, and I was the joint familiar of both Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. I will share with you what I never shared with Dumbledore, and so having _all_ of what I am may make the bonding a little uncomfortable."

Harry nodded to himself and took a deep breath before letting the warmth spread into his mind. At first there was a gentle probing and the amused voice of Fawkes as he answered Harry's unspoken question. "Just making sure there's enough space in here." After a few moments, Fawkes' presence seemed to retreat, but it was mere seconds later that the stream of warmth returned. Whereas before the probing had seemed like the probing was a trickle of water from a tap, it now felt as if a dam had burst. Information flooded into Harry's head, and in the real world his hand unconsciously fell from Fawkes' chin, but it did not affect the onslaught of information; the bonding having already taken place.

Memories flitted through his mind, and he desperately tried to keep up with the flood of information that now filled his head. Likewise, Fawkes was inspecting the new memories that his Master had shared with him, and found his hate of the old man – his ex-Master – growing when he saw just how horrible Harry's life at the Dursley's had been. When Fawkes peered into Harry's mind however, he was amazed to find that his new Master hadn't yet fallen unconscious from the bombardment of new emotions, information and memories he could feel himself feeding to him. After an entire hour the flood eventually stopped, and Harry fell out of his chair onto the floor with a groan. Both Dilys and Armando – not having been privy to the conversation that had been taking place between the bird and Harry for the past hour – yelled in surprise when the young Wizard collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

They both sighed in relief however, when he tenderly dragged himself to his feet and collapsed back onto the chair with a pained cry as he clutched at his head. For the two hours that followed, the two portraits and the Phoenix stayed silent as the young man's brain processed and organized the new knowledge into the appropriate places, and Fawkes whispered caringly in his mind when the flutter of activity had ceased. "Are you alright Master?"

The clarity and humour in the reply both surprised and made the Phoenix proud at his new Master and the grand bird couldn't help but chuckle. "You are _really_ _really_ old, you know that, right?"

"Sorry about that Master."

"And stop calling me Master, you're my friend."

The warmth in Fawkes' affirmative reply made Harry suspect that no Wizard had called him a friend for quite some time, and he smiled at the thought that he had made his Familiar happy. Twenty minutes later, after sorting out the specifics on how Harry would explain his disappearance – as he didn't know how long he would be in the room on the fifth floor for- Fawkes' living arrangements, and Dilys' and Armando' new placements; which turned out to be on a necklace that Fawkes conjured around Harry's neck, everybody found out just what Fawkes' grand plan regards making Dumbledore aware of his desertion.

In harsh contrast with the characteristically joyous and uplifting song that erupted from Fawkes' throat, the horrifying scream that echoed throughout the office – and the majority of the school for that matter – sent chills down everybody's spines. What burst forth from Fawkes' outstretched wings was equally as terrifying, but far more awe-inspiring. A wall of pure-white flame surged forth and engulfed the entire room; the only things spared being the portraits, Dumbledore's journal, and the Phoenix's master. Fawkes on the other hand, seemed to revel in the destruction, and flew into the blinding flames, disappearing from his Master's view for a mere few seconds.

Harry found himself wishing to look through his Familiars eyes, and found himself granted that exact wish a moment later, his friend laughing in his mind at Harry's surprise. "Another thing I never gave Dumbledore was the ability to experience and control me." A plan began rapidly forming in Harry's mind, and the Phoenix shrilled mirthfully when he caught where Harry's thoughts were headed. His voice full of mischief he complemented Harry on his idea, and relinquished control of his body – taking a spectator view of his and Harry's message to Dumbledore. With a final white pulse, the fire disappeared, and Fawkes and Harry's message to Dumbledore became clear to all of the occupants in the room.

Glowing molten hot in the rocks of Hogwarts, the words "FUCK YOU" filled the entire back wall of the office, which caused the uproarious laughter of every single resident in the room. Even though the silencing spell suppressed the sounds and voices of the portraits, the mirth on their faces and the tears rolling down their cheeks was a clear indication that they were laughing just as hard as Harry, his Familiar, and his two mentors.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry woke with a start, automatically curling into a foetal position and cringing, waiting for the pain that he had become so accustomed to over the past days – whenever he was conscious that is. When he felt no pain, he frowned and cracked open his eyes – sighing in relief when he saw the worried, golden eyes of his Familiar glinting back at him in the dim light. He closed his eyes once again and rolled on to his back, sinking into the plush mattress on which he was lying. He communicated with his familiar through mere thought, worried that any sound would bring forth an agonizing headache at the current time. "How long have I been out?"

Fawkes' forced voice answered a moment later. "Three days Harry."

The black-haired youth frowned and cracked open his eyes once again, taking in a sharp breath when he saw the relief in Fawkes' eyes. Hoping that noise wouldn't bring about the anticipated head-splitting pain, the green-eyes boy tenderly reached out and stroked Fawkes' cheek regretfully. "You were worried." At his nod, Harry smiled warmly. "I'm sorry I frightened you."

Fawkes nodded once again, and enjoyed Harry's ministrations for a few moments longer before warbling softly, causing Harry's smile to widen. The next sentence from Fawkes made the student's smile grow even larger. "Although, I did know you were going to be fine – there's no way a little power boost would kill my friend. Dumbledore however, was running around the school and the Ministry like a Nargle with its head cut off." At Harry's bemused look, the Phoenix chuckled. "Suffice to say that I'm glad we planned everything out _before_ you did the ritual."

Harry cocked his head. "Why is that?"

"Well it's going to take me at least twenty hours to hide your new magical signature, let alone your bloody eyes."

"My eyes?" The Phoenix sighed and nodded his beak pointedly at a mirror on the wall; a mirror which Harry walked over to – surprised he didn't stumble – and looked into. His eyes widened when he saw the burning orbs glowing brightly back at him, and he swung around to his Familiar with a look of shock. Fawkes' only reply was an exasperated "Tell me about it."

After about ten hours of sleeping, during which Fawkes worked on concealing Harry's various new traits, he woke with a question at the forefront of his mind. Turning to look at the glazed eyes of his companion, he spoke. "You said you needed to conceal my _new_ magical signature…" The Phoenix's eyes stayed distant, but he nodded. Seeing that a more in-depth answer was not forthcoming, he finished his question. "What's new about my magical signature?"

Harry waited for an answer, and was drifting off to sleep again nearly an hour later when the Phoenix's eyes cleared and his voice entered the young man's head. "Sorry about that; I was right in the middle of a tricky bit of spell work there." Harry opened his eyes at the bird's voice, and looked at the mirror with interest as the glow in his eyes faded until they were as they had been before any of this had happened. Harry turned his attention back to Fawkes when he continued. "In answer to your question Harry, your aura which used to be like this-" The bird projected a memory of Harry when he had first entered Dumbledore's office nearly four days previously, and Harry observed the faint glow surrounding his form, "To this."

Fawkes projected what he was seeing into Harry's mind, and he would have snapped his eyes shut if he had been using them to view the brightness that his Familiar was seeing. Fawkes severed the connection and nodded at Harry's wide eyes. "You'd damn near blind the manipulative old sod if you came within a kilometre of him; he doesn't see people, he sees auras – and he'd see yours a hundred flipping miles off." At Harry's disbelieving look Fawkes pecked at his hand, causing Harry to snap his head up and face his serious eyes. "I'm not kidding Harry; if this room wasn't specifically designed to contain auras, you'd damn near fill up every area in a two hundred mile radius."

"So what does that mean for me?"

Fawkes' eyes had glazed over once again, but he had been expecting another question and had set aside some attention for his Master. "It means, Harry, that when you cast Expelliarmus on someone, you'd best hope you don't tear them into a hundred pieces." His eyes cleared for a moment, and he grinned at Harry's dumbfounded expression. "I suggest you practice your control now Harry, feel free to use my memories for anything that might help you to that end." With that, Fawkes' eyes glassed over once again, their link became silent, and Harry was left to practice controlling his newfound power.

Harry's first attempt at Lumos burned his eyes so badly that Fawkes had to drop some tears into his damaged orbs, and saw fit to loudly berate him for not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Once the Familiar had returned to his glazed state, Harry looked at his shaking hands in fear; he'd barely put any effort into his spell at all, and it had done _that_. He put his wand aside, and held his hand out in front of him, aimed at one of the solid walls that surrounded him, and spoke the incantation. The resulting explosion from the Bombarda he had cast sent hundreds of deadly shards of rock flying towards him, but was halted by the infinitely powerful Protego he had erected in anticipation of the dangerous projectiles.

After a few hours he even stopped verbalising the incantations, but found that even that had virtually no effect on the power of his spells. Finally he decided to sift through Fawkes' memories to try and find an answer, and eventually found a useful spell that started the formation of an idea in Harry's mind. Originally created by Godric Gryffindor for use in regulating the magical power that could be put into the Sonorus, Harry dissected it back to its basic elements using Arithmancy, and reversed its effects so that by varying the volume of his voice, he could vary the power of his resulting spell whether it was verbal or not; Harry rationalised that he could yell in his mind, and thus it would have the same effect.

After a few more hours of tampering with the spell; modifying the volume markers to suit his needs, and inserting a safe word to remove the spell should he need to call on his full powers at some time in the future, he pushed the incantation across his link to Fawkes for confirmation that it was safe. After a few minutes of stretching, the young Wizard lay back on the small bed in the room with his hands behind his head and sunk into thought. He hadn't had time to fully understand the situation he was in, or fully organize Fawkes' memories in his head. As he worked through his memories since he arrived at Hogwarts, he could see that Dumbledore's betrayal was far deeper and widespread than he had originally anticipated. After he had gotten his thoughts in order, he sWitched over to his recently acquired memories from the Phoenix beside him; pulling up the relevant recollections regarding what was written in the Headmaster's diary. For the next five hours Harry's emotions were in absolute turmoil; some of the things the old man had done were disgusting, horrifying, and at some points even downright sickening – and Harry's trust in his new friends grew tenfold.

Not only had Dumbledore modified his and Hermione's memories, but he had even gone so far as to manipulate the entire staff of Hogwarts, quite a fair share of the students, and an astounding number of important officials at the Ministry of Magic. Every name, every spell, every bit of information he could gleam from the memories pertaining the Headmaster and his diary, Harry filed away in the back of his mind for later reference; knowing that to keep his oath, and eventually stop Dumbledore's plan he would need every ounce of knowledge he could gather. The raven-haired Wizard had just finished running through the new information when Fawkes rubbed his hand with his beak.

Harry cracked open his eyes and smiled when he saw the smug look in the Phoenix's eyes. "I guess it went fine?"

Fawkes nodded. "And your spell has been added to the wards as well; I'd suggest you try it out."

Harry gave a small nod at the suggestion and sat up from the bed, raising his hand and aiming at the book that had led him through the ritual. In a normal tone of voice he clearly delivered the incantation. "_Wingardium Leviosa_._" _Both Harry and Fawkes smiled when the book gently lifted off the table, and the young Wizard navigated it around the room experimentally before returning it to the table. The grin on Harry's face was huge, and Fawkes seemed just as satisfied with the result; but both of them knew what they had to try. They turned to each other, both with matching mischievous expressions, before turning to look at the door as Harry raised his hand and screamed as loud as he could in his head. "_Deprimo!_"

The resulting burst of power literally blew the door right off its hinges, through the seven meters of magically reinforced rock that hid the room from the outside world, and into the chasm that housed the moving staircases. Peering through the _Protego_ shield that Harry had erected immediately after casting the blasting curse, the Familiar and his Master looked at each other with matching expressions of amusement before the young Wizard cancelled the milky screen and walked over to the table which the Book of Power still sat on. Fawkes flew over to the table and placed his talon on the cover before looking up at Harry, a question in his fiery, yellow eyes. Harry paused for only a moment before giving the Phoenix a discreet nod, and with a bust of flame the book was destroyed – not even ash left to show for its existence; just as Harry had wanted it.

The next fifteen minutes weren't overly pleasant for the Boy-Who-Lived. The excuse he had chosen to explain his –now – four day absence was far-fetched at best, but with Fawkes gladly aiding in breaking both his arm and his leg, along with cracking a rib, Harry hoped like hell that it would be convincing enough. Poppy took it in a stride, and immediately dragged him into the medical bay before forcing him into a bed and telling him, on no uncertain terms, that if he so much as sneezed without her permission she would set a hoard of fire slugs after him. Harry had ignored Fawkes' smart comment when he didn't resist the medic's request, and had gotten himself comfortable after casting a pain-numbing spell on himself. Within fifteen minutes of his admittance to Madam Pomfrey's care, his two best friends rushed into the room with matching looks of panic and worry on their faces.

When they finally reached Harry's bedside, Ron had immediately managed to say something that had Harry grinding his teeth in frustration. "Hey Mate, you missed the quidditch game!"

The injured, green-eyed Wizard was sorely tempted to say something resembling what was etched into Dumbledore's office's wall to the stupid and greedy red-head, but somehow managed to contain the expletive and smile somewhat convincingly. "Yeah, that's a real shame."

He turned to face Hermione and smiled slightly at her expression of genuine worry. He was actually sorry that he couldn't tell her what had happened over the past few days; at least she wasn't in on all the manipulation like Ron was – the back-stabbing little sod. "Sorry for having you worried 'Mione; I fell off my broom and was unconscious for the past few days – I only just managed to drag myself in here." Again he felt the pang of guilt at lying to the Witch, but his Familiar reminded him that one day – when Dumbledore and Voldemort had been defeated – he would be able to tell her everything. For the next twenty minutes Harry explained to both of his 'friends' and the Matron how he had injured himself, and after a few diagnostic tests which Fawkes so helpfully falsified, the medic agreed that it was exactly what had happened, and that Harry would need to stay in the Hospital Wing for at least a week to make sure he was fully recovered.

After the his friend and the traitorous red-head had left, Harry let out a deep sigh of relief, grimacing slightly as he felt his bones knitting back together from the Skele-grow that Madam Pomfrey had administered to him a few minutes previously. Fawkes disappeared for a few minutes, returning with his Master's necklace with a very happy Dilys and Armando attached, both of them congratulating and thanking him on the success of the Ritual. Over the next two days, Harry recovered and listened intently to lectures from his tutors, taking in every word that the two talented Wizards said, and adding a few suggestions to the conversations from the memories he had gained from his bonding with Fawkes.

It was on the third day, just after Armando had finished talking about light versions of the Unforgivable curses that a most unexpected visitor popped her head through the curtains to Harry's room. The pale-skinned girl looked around the room inquisitively before stepping inside and closing the curtains behind her, letting out a deep breath as if she was hot. Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow she waved around and calmly gave her explanation. "The Sneeze-footed Dorchids have been a bit anxious lately, and they've been steering well clear of the hospital wing." She looked around once again and her eyes landed on where Fawkes sat, hidden. "I can see why now." Without another word she sat down in the chair beside Harry's bed, pulled out a book, and began furiously scribbling inside, her tongue poked slightly out the corner of her mouth, and her silvery blonde hair flowing down her back like a waterfall.

Harry was speechless, but his surprise multiplied tenfold when, without even looking up from her small leather journal, she spoke lightly – as if merely talking about the weather. "Why is Fawkes here?" When she got no reply she looked up with a slight frown, and squinted at Harry. "And why are you…" Her eyes widened, and for a moment Harry could've sworn that he saw her ever-glazed eyes become sharp and alert, but the fleeting change disappeared before he could even be sure it had happened at all.

She shrugged lightly and returned to her furious scribbling, apparently not aware of the four shocked looks facing her. Harry slowly turned to look at his Familiar, and found an amazed look on his face. "What?"

Fawkes was silent for a few seconds, but slowly answered Harry's question after a moment's thinking. "She is a master of Occlumency – I've never seen anything quite like it…" After a moment, Harry's vision clouded, and he found himself immersed in his Familiar's memory. It was like looking through a thick, blue glass, but when he realized what, or rather _who_ the colourful blob in front on him was, he gasped.

"That's Luna?"

"Mmm. This is what most people look like from their aura, but watch closely."

The memory began to play out, and after a few moments the aura flickered as if a ripple had ran across the glass. Harry frowned. "What was that?"

"I can't be sure…but I think that was the _real_ Luna." His familiar sensed his confusion and let his Charge's vision return before explaining. "She projects a false mind and person to everybody else around her. Technically, the mind that she projects is who she is really like with a few minor changes – personality-wise at least." The fiery bird cocked its head at the young, blonde-haired Witch. "But she is far smarter than she pretends to be."

Harry looked over at the subject of conversation and cocked his head as well; this was a real development, and it just made the young woman all the more of a mystery to Harry. Eventually she finished writing in her book and looked up at the black-haired Wizard, the customary, dreamy look on her face. "How are you Harry?"

Harry cleared his throat and answered after a few seconds. "I'm feeling better, thank you for asking Luna. How are you?"

She smiled warmly at him. "I am fine." She frowned slightly and looked down at her feet.

Harry followed her gaze and growled slightly when he caught sight of her bare skin, and held his hand out from under the covers of his bed on the opposite side from the friendly Ravenclaw. He didn't use a spell, he simply _willed_ his magic to do what he told it to do, and with an almost indistinguishable pop a pair of shoes appeared in his hand. The blonde looked up at the sound and her eyes widened when she caught sight of her missing shoes. Harry was prepared for the moment of clarity in her eyes, and quickly darted past her defences – plucking the thought that had the most importance to her from her mind. With an ability that even surprised the observant Phoenix, Harry pulled out of her thoughts just as the detection shields closed over once again – his invasion remaining undetected.

He held out her shoes, and she gently reached out and took them off him with a muttered thank you. A silence filled the small cubicle for a moment, but Harry had already made up his mind on his course of action. He was just about to speak when he caught sight of her slightly blushing cheeks, and his eyes widened at just how pretty she looked. He shook his head slightly and then returned his gaze to the blonde Ravenclaw, to see if he was simply imagining things. He wasn't, and he leant back in his bed with wide eyes and a slightly slack jaw. Fawkes provided the answer to his Master's unasked question. "Your magic purged Ginny's love potion from your system – that's why you've never noticed Luna before."

Harry looked over once again, and had to stop himself from staring at her slightly lifted lips and red cheeks before clearing his throat once again and slowly speaking so as not to alarm her. "Hey Luna, you know I consider you one of my best friends, right?"

Her head snapped upwards at the sound of his voice, and her eyes lit up at his words. "Really?"

He nodded and smiled warmly at her. "Yeah. I've never thanked you for helping me; you've stood beside me and trusted me without question, and you've always listened to what I have to say – even if you didn't want to hear it."

"But I always want to listen to what you say Harry." His eyes widened at her words, and when he saw her embarrassed blush he felt his heart skip a beat, and a feeling enter his chest…was it hope? He mentally shook himself again, and smiled at her. "Thank you Luna, you don't know how grateful I am for that." He quietened for a moment and then began hedging towards the crux of his plan. "Luna, I trust you with my life."

She smiled up at him from the chair, her cheeks dimpling in a way that made Harry realize, once again, just how attractive she was. "I trust you with mine too Harry."

"Would you ever leave my side?"

The answer was immediate. "No, I would never desert or betray you Harry."

Harry nodded to himself before asking the next question. "Even if I had betrayed your trust?"

Her smile disappeared and she frowned at him. He waited for a few moments, and she finally answered, albeit slowly. "I would still stay by you."

"Would you forgive me?"

"Yes."

Harry looked directly into her silver orbs and could almost see the hidden mind behind them. "Trust me now?" She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding, and Harry held out his palm. "Take my hand." Warily she stood from her chair and padded softly over to his bed, tenderly sliding her pale hand into his. Once again Harry felt his heart leap, but he forced the feeling down for the time being – he could deal with that after this was over. He closed his hands around her delicate fingers and firmly held her there; looking into her questioning eyes before closing his own and reciting the poem he had so carefully plucked from her hidden sanctuary mere minutes before.

"Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land! Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd, As home his footsteps he hath turn'd From wandering on a foreign strand! If such there breathe, go, mark him well; For him no Minstrel raptures swell; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim; Despite those titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self, Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung."

From the very first words he had felt her tense, and at one point he had even felt her try to pull away, but he had held her still. Now he opened his eyes and looked into the panic-stricken, ash orbs of the woman in front of him, and squeezed the hand that was still within his grasp. Her expression was pained, and her next whispered words nearly broke Harry's heart with the anguish they held. "Why?"

"Because I want you to have somebody you can truly trust in, somebody that you can tell anything. I also want somebody who I can tell anything, somebody I can trust implicitly with no risk of any old, powerful Wizards getting inside their head." Her slight struggle to get free stopped at that moment, and she looked up at Harry with no small amount of astonishment. Seeing that she was about to confirm the identity of the 'old powerful Wizard' he held up his hand. "I cannot say any more about the matter of the Wizard in question, as I have sworn a vow and to break it would mean my death." He paused and turned to the portraits that had remained silent throughout the entire visit. "Unless…"

The two paintings looked at one another, and then turned enquiringly to Fawkes, who returned their query with an almost undetectable nod. Armando turned back to Harry and nodded. "You have our permission, but really you didn't need it – if she wasn't then you'd be dead already."

Over the past few hours, Harry had managed to experience quite a few jaw-dropping moments; the first being Madam Pomfrey informing him that Dumbledore had been trying to see him for the past three days but she had turned him away; the second being the realization that Luna was very pretty; the third being that she liked him back judging by the cute blush when their fingers had briefly touched as he had handed her her shoes; and now this. Harry's jaw did drop lower than it had previously however, but he quickly clamped it shut, well aware that he probably looked like a right idiot in front of the young woman beside him. After a few moments of awkward throat clearing, thumping down his elation at the knowledge that he was lucky enough to have such a soul mate, and slowing his racing heart, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words and motioned to the space beside his bed. "Pull up a chair."

Over the next three hours, Harry and the two portraits – along with Fawkes who communicated through Harry – explained the entire situation to the intently listening Witch; all four of the talkers however, conveniently forgot to mention the bits about soul mates. At the end of it all, Harry sat back in the bed, happy to get it all off his chest and share it with an actual person. Luna however, sat silent for a few moments before standing from her chair, her eyes as sharp as an eagle's and her fists clenched so hard that her knuckles turned completely white. "That _bloated stinkworm_!" Harry was shocked at her sudden outburst, but she wasn't yet done, and everyone except the furious girl was thankful for Harry's quick silencing spell around the room. "That evil old man has been hurting you since you were a baby? He's nothing but a monopolising, underhanded phoney! Nobody hurts _my_ Harry!"

His eyebrows shot up at the last sentence. "Your Harry?"

She glared at him, but it was clear that the anger wasn't directed at him. "Oh and don't even get me started on that ginger _hag_!" She paced for a few moments before seeming to make up her mind on something. They all found out what a few moments later. "Right, I'm going to go and hex that red-head into the middle of next week."

She turned to leave the room, but Harry's hand shot out just in time to pull her back with a weak _accio_. She turned to him angrily and he shook his head. "She can't know anybody knows about her plan Luna, because then Dumbledore will find out." At his words she looked crestfallen, and he was taken aback when she fell to her knees and buried her head in her hands; her frame shaking softly and quiet sobs escaping her lips. Harry did the first thing that came to mind, and pulled himself painfully out of bed before shuffling to her side. He grunted in pain as he too fell to his knees, but ignored it as he pulled the sobbing Witch into his arms in a light embrace. Feeling his presence she began sobbing harder, and she clung to his shirt desperately while trying to talk through her tears.

Harry had the ironic thought that he had certainly had his fair share of dealing with crying women, but found himself completely at a loss as what to do for the Ravenclaw beside him. Whispering quietly to her and gently rubbing her back was all he could do to comfort her, and he was relieved when her sobs began to subside. He continued holding her even after she had stilled in his arms, lending her all the comfort she wanted – but was surprised that she was the one to break the silence that had descended in the room. "I could've told you so much earlier; you could've seen it so much sooner than now; she took you away from me." She lifted her head slightly and rested it on his chest; an action which caused Harry's breath to momentarily hitch in his throat.

The words that followed were so much more than breath-hitching however. Her voice was so quiet that Harry had to strain to hear the words, and he watched, shocked, as a few more tears trailed down her cheeks. "I've had to watch Harry, I've had to watch as you sent her those glances; and it hurt so much to feel that the person I loved cared for another."

Harry's composure took a leave of absence at those words, and his speech followed soon after. "Yo- you? You love _me_? Wha- why?"

She tilted her head and locked her clear, grey eyes with his confused green ones. "Because you see me for who I really am. Even when you didn't know about _me_ like you do now, you still cared – you still liked me. You stood up for me when nobody else would, and you were my first friend." She lowered her head in embarrassment at her next words, and so she missed Harry's look of absolute, utter elation. "I fell in love with you without knowing I had, but one day I just knew. I knew that I wanted to stay by you, and fight for you, and love you, and live for you for the rest of my life – and I knew that whoever you fell in love with, you would never leave, and you would love with all that you are." She sniffled slightly. "This is why it hurt so much to see you look at Ginny like that. I felt so alone."

Harry, although happy, was absolutely confounded. He had known Luna for over a year, nearly two now, and he had always seen her as a friend… he supposed he had Ginny to thank for _that_. He looked down at the woman in his arms and felt the same feeling he had earlier spread across his chest and had a realization of sorts. He had never really known what love was; from the Dursleys he had received nothing but hate and resentment; and so he had thought his feelings for Ginny were love since they felt so…nice. Looking at Luna, he realized just how wrong he had been. Although until today he had only seen her as a friend, he felt as if he had loved her since the moment he met her.

"You have." Harry looked up at his Familiar in surprise, and received a chuckle in return. "The love potion you were given was created by Molly Weasley; specifically designed to suppress any other feelings of attraction for anybody but Ginny. Even though it hid the feelings from you, it could not actually stop them from developing." Harry looked at Fawkes, shocked, but was brought back to the present when the Phoenix growled at him. "Stop screwing around Potter, she's beside herself with worry that you don't love her back."

True to his word, when Harry looked down at the unique young woman she was chewing her bottom lip nervously, and even though she had her eyes averted he could see the fear in them. He decided right there and then that he would get rid of that in the fastest way he could, settling for something he had been itching to do for the past three hours. "Hey Luna?" She tilted her head up slightly, which gave Harry the perfect angle to press his lips to hers, causing the shocked girl to freeze for a moment before throwing all caution to the wind and letting herself enjoy it. Harry revelled in the feel of her soft lips; he hadn't been expecting fireworks and popping sounds in his ears, and he wasn't disappointed – but this was so much better than that. He felt as if he was at home, as if he was cared for and loved, as if he was needed just for being himself; not some weapon to fight Voldemort – and he couldn't have been more correct about Luna's feelings if he tried.

Tenderly he broke away from the kiss, and looked into Luna's eyes; eyes that were looking back at him, full of the feeling he had craved for his entire life, a feeling which he hoped she would allow him to return in kind. Slowly her eyes dulled, and she once again lowered her eyes. "If you don't love me back then that-"

"Now you stop right there." She looked up, surprised, and met Harry's slightly heated gaze. "If you think for one moment that there is any way I _couldn't_ love you back, then cut it out right now." He cupped her face in his hands, and smiled when he saw the hope return to her eyes. "I. Love. You." Seeing the surprise in her expression he held up his hands. "I know it seems sudden; going from friends to admitting love, but I would've done it sooner if I hadn't been poisoned – I would've _realized_ it sooner. You're everything I've ever wanted Luna, and that's never going to change – so I want you to repeat every word I say after me." At her shocked expression he continued. "I am beautiful."

She looked up at him, almost looking like she was going to object, but was quietened by his next words, his eyes piercing hers. "You are beautiful; you are the most beautiful woman in the world Luna."

The conviction in his emerald eyes and his voice shocked the young Witch, but she soon found a warmth fill her chest. _Harry thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world._ "I am beautiful." She sounded almost disbelieving, but Harry's loving smile settled her doubts instantly.

"I am loved by the man I love."

She looked into his eyes once again, and repeated the sentence with less hesitation as she gradually accepted the truth in Harry's words. "I am loved by the man I love."

The list went on and on, and Luna was nearly crying in happiness by the time Harry got to the last sentence. Fawkes had already anticipated the statement, and had spent the last five minutes erecting the strongest barrier he could around the small cubicle. "The man I love is my soul mate."

Luna's eyes widened, and she backed away slightly. "Yo- soul- me…your so- your soul mate?"

Harry nodded seriously. "I couldn't think of anybody else I could love as much as you. I've only just begun to sort through my feelings for you, but already they outshine anything I have for anybody else. I will love you more every day, of that I'm sure, and I want to share all that I am with you – forever."

"Bu-"

Harry reached over and took her slightly shaking hands before repeating his earlier statement. "The man I love is my soul mate."

"You're…" She paused, but then felt a flood of warmth spread across her when she looked into his eyes and saw the deep love he held for her. "You are my soul mate."

His smile was so tender and loving she fell into his embrace without hesitation, smiling softly when she heard his words by her ear. "And you are mine." Harry was just about to close his eyes when he caught sight of a small, white tendril of light curling up from the floor and begin to creep up Luna's back, and he immediately turned to Fawkes – who by this point had erected an even stronger barrier around himself and the two shrunken portraits. He looked slightly apprehensive about the entire situation and Harry smiled when he realized what was happening. He squeezed Luna tighter when he heard her gasp, and whispered once again in her ear. "It looks like we were right."

She pulled slowly back from the embrace and looked at him, amazed. "You mean this is-" He nodded and smiled as the tendrils curled around his torso. She shook her head in disbelief. "But the chances that we _were_ is-"

"Phenomenal?" She nodded and he pulled her back towards him with a laugh – not missing the fact that the pain in his body had ceased. He pressed a gentle kiss against her lips and held her close as the light began to spin faster, lifting them upwards until they stood suspended in the middle of the room. Luna looked around at the dancing streams of white and laughed happily, a sound which brought a joyous smile to Harry's lips. It was after a few moments however, that Harry's eyes darkened and his laughter caught in his throat. Luna noticed the change in Harry's mood immediately and she followed his eyes, her own widening when she caught sight of the black tendrils beginning to curl away from the floor and towards the bonding that was taking place between them.

When she looked back to Harry's eyes, she felt a shiver run down her spine at the slight glow that she could see burning there – full of power and anger. The one word from his mouth was enough of an explanation for Luna. "Dumbledore." He pulled her closer and then looked down into her worried eyes, his tender smile and expression easing her distress. "Hold on Luna." She did; wrapping her arms tightly around his back and holding onto him as if her life depended on it – and for all she knew, it did. She felt the power around them growing, and hazard a glance downwards at the evil roots that were trying to stop their union, gasping when she saw them being held back by a blue barrier that seemed to disintegrate their growth. The humming around them grew louder, as did the efforts of the malicious coils beneath them, and the strain on Harry's magic. Eventually everything reached a crescendo, and everything seemed to flash a blinding white around them.

Luna clung to the man beside her, and sighed, relieved when she felt his arms close lovingly around her back. Soon after she felt her feet touch the solid stone ground, and she slowly opened her eyes, stumbling when she felt Harry's weight bear down on her. She worriedly looked upwards, and let out a relieved breath when she caught sight of Harry's lopsided smile. "Sorry Luna, I'm a little bit worn out." She nodded understandingly and was about to walk him over to the bed when she noticed the state of the room. The bed lay mangled in the corner, all of the instruments lay in puddles of molten metal on the floor, and a disgruntled Phoenix sat on the windowsill. With a quick flap of his wings, the room pulled itself back together and Harry collapsed onto the bed, followed quickly by Luna who tucked them both under the covers.

Harry looked amusedly at her and she looked up at him with a clear conscience, and one of her customarily odd explanations. "The Snorgals will attack you if you fall asleep alone in that state."

"Oh…right." Taking it a stride, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and looked over to Fawkes, who was still glaring at Harry. "What?"

"You idiot."

"What?"

"You're lucky I was here!"

Harry nodded. "Yes I am. Than you."

Fawkes looked incredulous. "That's it? Thank you?"

Harry looked at him, confused. "What else am I supposed to say? I couldn't do anything; I didn't even know that there was a bonding ritual!" He motioned madly at the floor, "And what the hell was that? Nobody told me that we'd be attacked!" He glared at the Phoenix. "I did what I needed to do to keep me and my soul mate safe – I am not going to apologise for that."

Chastised, the Phoenix bowed his head in an apology. "I'm sorry Harry, I was just a little worried that we would be discovered; it was hard enough keeping my shields from failing, let alone stopping Dumbledore from becoming aware of the bonding."

Harry nodded his head, giving the Familiar a small smile. "It's okay, just be aware that I'd do anything to keep Luna safe." At Fawkes' nod, Harry looked down at Luna and smiled when he saw her slow breathing and relaxed expression. Lowering his voice so as not to wake his bonded, Harry continued his conversation with the Phoenix – albeit with a frown on his face. "I guessed that that dark magic was Dumbledore's, and judging by what you said, I was right."

Fawkes nodded and got comfortable by the window before explaining. "The magic was imbued into the castles defences; something that only the Headmaster of the school can do." With a slight shift, Harry was reliving the memory of what Fawkes had seen, and watched as the dark vines pushed upwards towards Luna and him. Suddenly the memory froze, and Fawkes' voice echoed in Harry's mind. "Even through the memory you can feel the dark power in the tendrils; I've never seen anything like it before."

With a flash, Harry's vision returned to normal and he looked at the Phoenix curiously. "So what was it supposed to do?"

Fawkes let out what sounded like a sigh and answered. "It's hard to tell _exactly_ what it would do, but I can guess that it was meant to stop the bonding, alert Dumbledore, and then paralyse the participants until he came and dealt with the matter."

Harry felt anger well up in his stomach, but pushed it down; knowing that it would do him no good. "So he would have obliviated us?"

Fawkes nodded, but his eyes held some amusement. "He wouldn't have much luck with either of you though; Luna would simply allow him to obliviate the false mind that she has created, and you would simply block any attempt at his manipulation." Fawkes was thoughtful for a moment. "We need to get your mind working like Luna's however, if Dumbledore tries to look inside your head and finds himself shut out then he will immediately investigate the matter: we want to avoid that at all costs."

Harry nodded and made a mental note to talk with Luna about the specifics when she woke up, but for the time being he had some questions that needed answering. "So what does us being bonded mean?"

The Phoenix looked taken aback for a moment, but then nodded in understanding. "Hmm, bonding is very rare in this day and age – which is probably why you don't know much about it." The bird seemed to grin at Harry with the next words he spoke. "Well Harry, you sure do move fast: 17 and virtually married!" Harry's jaw dropped, and Fawkes trilled softly in laughter. "Yes Harry, you're essentially a married man; the only things missing are the records at the Ministry, and the rings – both of which I think we should refrain from getting."

"I- I'm married?"

"If I'm not being too bold, I must say that you and Mrs Potter make quite a lovely couple."

"Mr- Mrs P-Potter?"

The Phoenix frowned. "Well she is your wife you know."

"But we haven't even dated!"

The Phoenix nodded. "It was common a long time ago for the exact same thing to happen; a Witch and a Wizard would be bonded even before beginning the courting process. The thing that you have to remember Harry, is that if you want to make it work, you will need to start from the beginning; going from friends to husband and wife would be far too stressful on the two of you, and would more than likely cause serious problems." Fawkes nodded to the woman lying asleep beside Harry with a caring look in his eye. "But I can already tell that it will work out just fine; I can feel her love for you, and yours for her; and both of your feelings are unbelievably strong." He saw Harry about to interrupt, but held out a wing to silence him. "You said it yourself Harry, you will love her more every day – of that I have no doubt – but I urge you to take it slowly; you have more than enough time before you need to take that final step and consummate your union."

Harry blushed beetroot red at that, and spluttered for a few moments before managing to pull together a sentence. "I hadn't even _thought_ of that yet!"

"Sure you hadn't."

The sarcasm in the Phoenix's voice was palpable, and Harry gritted his teeth; resisting the urge to reach over and clap the cheeky bird over the back of his head. After calming down sufficiently enough to talk to his Familiar again, he asked the next question. "So what does this bonding do to us?"

Fawkes' eyes darkened and he suddenly turned serious. "Bonding is the ultimate form of union Harry; and you are the first in nearly two hundred years to have been bonded to your soul mate." Harry's eyes widened at the figure, but Fawkes wasn't finished. "Your life force is now tied to hers Harry, and hers to yours; if you die, so does she; if she dies, so do you." Harry listened intently, and felt a rush of emotion flow through him at his Familiar's words. "Although that is a large downside of being bonded, I have the feeling that when you truly realize just how much you love Luna you wouldn't want to live if she departed this world. The same applies for her." Harry had to admit that it was probably true, and continued to listen to the Phoenix's words. "The reason that I said not to rush with your relationship Harry, is because – much like Godric Gryffindor when became bonded to his wife – you will live for much longer than what is considered 'normal' in the Wizarding world."

Harry frowned at this. "How much longer?"

"Well Godric was four hundred when he died with his wife, so I assume that you will follow much the same path."

Harry decided to process that little titbit of information later on, when he could take another shock without fainting, and asked his next question. "Anything else?"

"Well understandably, being bonded, you will be able to feel the emotions your wife, and vice versa. It's the part of the bond which ensures that nothing is hidden between the partners, although I highly doubt that either of you would hide anything from each other.

"Lastly, you and Luna – more Luna in this case – will notice a boost in her magic, as the bond ensures that both of the bonded are near equal in ability, so your worries about having to put her through the pain of the Power Ritual can be laid to rest Harry."

Said Wizard's shoulders sunk in relief, and he let out a deep sigh. "Good."

Fawkes nodded in agreement, and stood up from his temporary perch. "I suggest that you cast a not-notice-me charm over the room, and that the two of you get some rest. I've been repairing and fortifying the room on the fifth floor for both of your training, and I have yet to fully complete the modifications in your dormitory."

"Modifications?"

The mischievous glint in the Phoenix's eye set an uneasy feeling in the young Wizard's stomach, and Fawkes' next words did nothing to ease his worry. "You'll see on your first night back in the dorm."

With a flash, the fiery bid disappeared, and Harry sighed in frustration; having such a Familiar was interesting, but Hedwig had been much easier to control. With a wave of his hand, he set a number of wards around the room and nestled down into the bed, smiling when Luna unconsciously snuggled into his chest. With a chaste kiss on the young Witch's head, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep; and for the first time in years found his rest undisturbed by the nightmares that normally plagued him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I received a review recently from Falena Eledhwen which caught my attention, both for her very uplifting and encouraging review, and with a few names she used when referring to Ron, Dumbledore, Ginny and Molly. Most aptly, these names caused me a bit of amusement, as I do so love a bit of 'bashing' when referring to the aforementioned characters - and so all credit in the use of the more imaginative namecalling efforts in regards Dumbles, Ronniekins, Gin-Bot, and Mollywobbles goes to Miss ****Falena Eledhwen - thank you once again for the review.**

******But on with the story! I hope you enjoy it.**

"Harry, how have you been?"

"Good sir, I feel a lot better now that Madam Pomfrey is done with me." Harry walked beside the old Headmaster, acting as if nothing was the matter, and making sure that he was projecting the false mind that Luna had instructed him on producing. He grinned when he felt Dumbledore slip inside his construction and root around for a while before pulling out when he found nothing out of the ordinary.

When they entered the Headmaster's office, the old Wizard laughed jovially, but now that Harry knew what to look for, he could hear the hidden annoyance in the man's tone. "I tried to see you when you were in the hospital wing, but Poppy firmly told me that she didn't need me stressing you by visiting." Harry nodded and smiled in what he hoped what a convincing manner, but the smile turned genuine when he saw the slight scars of his and Fawkes' message on the back wall. "Lemon drop?" Harry nodded and went to pluck one of the sweets from the offered bowl, but froze when his vision flashed and he looked at the lollies in a new light; glowing faintly blue, and instinctively he knew that they contained the love potion that he had been fed by 'Ronniekins' for the past year. Seeing Harry's hesitation, Dumbledore frowned. "What's the problem Harry?"

The young Wizard in question withdrew his hand and sent the aging Headmaster a troubled look. "I have an ulcer sir, and I think it would be a little painful if I had one."

Seeing nothing suspicious about the boy's explanation, he chuckled lightly, placing the bowl back on his desk and motioning for Harry to take a seat. "Not to worry Harry, perhaps next time."

Sitting down and facing the Headmaster, knowing who – and what he was, was a rather new experience for Harry, but he found himself reminding himself to not get cocky because of his newfound power – Dumbledore _was_ still considered the most powerful Wizard alive. "So Headmaster, what did you want to speak to me about?"

The white-haired Wizard leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him, a friendly smile on his face. "I noticed that while you were in the hospital wing Luna visited you frequently."

Harry nodded and replied with a smile of his own, for other reasons however; the fact that they had spent the last two nights in the hospital wing together in the same bed snuggling making up a fair portion of the grin. "Yes, Luna came and talked with me to give me some company – I was beginning to get a little bit bored but she certainly brightened my days."

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised a fraction. "Oh, did she now?"

Harry nodded and Dumbledore sighed. "Ah m'boy, I really hate doing this but…_OBLIVIATE!_" Harry sunk back behind his defensive barrier and allowed his eyes to glaze over while taking a back-row seat and listening to what the manipulative old sod was going to do to his false mind. He found out a moment later, and it took all of his self-control to not break out of his act and throw every curse he knew at the scheming old man. "Harry, you will forget how much you like Luna Lovegood, and you will start insulting her and treating her badly. You will have the sudden urge to go and see Ginny Weasley once you leave this office." After Harry gave a small nod, Dumbledore snapped his fingers a couple of times and put a concerned look on his face as Harry 'came back'. "Harry, are you alright? You looked a little distracted."

Harry forced a look of confusion onto his features and dulled his thoughts to imitate tiredness. "Sorry sir, I guess I'm just a little bit worn out from all the healing."

Thinking that his ploy had been accepted by the 'unsuspecting, clueless' young Wizard, the Headmaster smiled and nodded to the door. "Well you had probably better go and get some rest then; you've missed out on two weeks' worth of classes and you'll need to start back tomorrow."

Harry nodded wearily and stood from his seat, making sure to put on an act of swaying slightly. "I look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. I'll see you soon sir." Dumbledore quickly dismissed the young Wizard and Harry only kept the act up until he was halfway back to the Gryffindor common room before beginning to curse the old man under his breath. He looked out the window at the dark sky and sighed as he climbed the steps to his dormitory, having passed through the empty common room moments earlier. As soon as he opened the door to his room, he was immediately assaulted by questions from Seamus, Ron and Dean asking how awesome it felt to have gotten two whole weeks off school. Harry noticed that Neville didn't join in with that question, and smiled – proud that at least one person in his dorm had some sense of education. "Well guys, I had a broken leg, a broken arm, two fractured ribs and a cracked skull – it felt great."

Taken aback by his snappy answer, Harry managed to get dressed in his pyjamas and pull the curtains around his bed before they begun pestering him again. He fell back onto the silk covers and-

He froze and opened his eyes to look around him, and gasped at what he saw. The bed had been expanded to at least three times the size it had been previously, and the sheets were a rich green that seemed to ripple like water – the silk reflecting the small amount of light present. When he looked at the end of the bed and saw a smirking Fawkes, it all began to make sense. "Welcome back Harry; do you like the new room?"

"Like it? I love it! How did you do it?"

Fawkes preened his feathers pompously for a moment before – with a very pleased tone to his voice – he explained the process to Harry. When he was done, Harry sat his back against the headboard of his bed and let out an impressed whistle. "Well thanks a lot Fawkes, this is really cool – and it's good that I won't wake up the guys when I wake up screaming from a nightmare."

"Oh I highly doubt you'll be having nightmares Harry."

Said Wizard sent his Familiar a confused look, but his question was answered by a blur of motion flying through the curtains surrounding Harry's bed. On pure impulse, Harry suspended the intruder in mid-air and paralysed them. A giggle reached his ears, and when the words, "This is even more fun than when the Blibbering Humdingers get angry!" reached his ears, he immediately released the giggling Ravenclaw from his spell. She fell onto the mattress with a laugh, and then crawled up beside Harry, looking appreciatively around the new room. "Wow, this is really nice!" She winked at Fawkes. "Thanks for setting up the wards so I could get in."

"Anytime Luna; after all, you are Harry's bonded."

Harry was still sitting with his mouth hanging open and the blonde Witch frowned at him. "If you keep that up, the Tonsil-snatching Frogwamps will get you."

Snapping his mouth shut at once, he managed to construct a reasonable sentence a moment later. "What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping with you."

"What?"

She frowned again before answering bluntly – as she normally did. "I don't mean having sex Harry, I just meant like we did when you were in the Hospital Wing."

"Oh." A happy smile spread across Harry's face as he remembered the feeling of waking up to Luna, and the wonderful sleep he had managed to get when she was with him. "Really?" She nodded and he pulled her into a hug, muttering into her ear. "Thank you Luna; this really means a lot to me that you would care enough to do this."

"How could I not, I could feel how happy you were when you woke up beside me, and to tell you the truth: I enjoyed waking up to you too." She pulled back and slid down under the silk covers, soon followed by Harry who moulded himself to her back like they had down back in the Medical Wing. "I love you Harry."

Harry felt his chest swell and a huge grin spread over his face as he put the room into darkness with a wave of his hand. "I love you too Luna – so much."

* * *

The next morning, Harry thought that they had a dilemma. When he awoke to Luna he smiled lovingly into her happy ash eyes, and they shared a small but meaningful morning kiss. She snuggled up to his chest for a few minutes before moving off the bed and getting changed into her school uniform. Harry turned his head while she changed into her underwear, but raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of her wearing one of his white shirts. She simply shrugged and stated the reasoning behind her clothing choice. "You can't like me in public from now on, so I want to wear your shirt so I have the real you close to me all day."

Harry felt guilty for not thinking of her feelings before, and moved behind her before wrapping her in an apologetic hug. "You'll always have the real me Luna, I'll always be here for you – no matter what." At his words she gave a small sniff, and Harry smiled softly before placing a chaste kiss on the top of her head, and then waving his hand at their robes, transfiguring her Ravenclaw patch into a Gryffindor one, and his to a Ravenclaw.

He slipped her newly transfigured robe over his head and shrugged slightly to get comfortable, and then smiling at her confused face. "I love you as well Luna, and I want a piece of you with me as well." Her eyes lit up and she smiled again, causing Harry to grin as well, and pull her into one final hug before moving to the curtain and-

He froze, and then turned around, a panicked look on his face. He whipped around to face Fawkes. "Oh hell Fawkes, how is Luna going to get out of here without anybody seeing her?"

The recently awakened Phoenix raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry, and his voice sounded slightly disappointed. "You didn't think I thought of that? I've erected a ward around the Gryffindor Tower which will make Mrs Po-" He cut himself off at Harry's glare, and then corrected himself before continuing. "Miss Lovegood invisible to all of the students present."

"Invisible?"

"Well admittedly she won't be invisible; it's more of a very powerful not-notice-me charm."

Harry opened his mouth in an understanding O-shape, and then nodded. He took Luna's hand in his and then cast his own not-notice-me charm around himself so that he could evade the inevitable onslaught of questions regarding his absence from classes…and so that he could hold his girlfriend's hand – the girlfriend and boyfriend status being a step in their relationship that they had happily agreed upon and taken the previous night. The couple deftly navigated the students in the common room, and then, just for the sheer excitement and rebellious nature of it, Harry leant down and pressed his lips lovingly against Luna's, who – after getting over the shock of the moment – smiled and returned the kiss in kind, breaking off and resting her head against his shoulder, her arms around him, and his around her in a tender embrace.

After cooling off, the two exited the Gryffindor Common Room and – with a last, quick kiss – went their separate ways to breakfast. Well aware of the watchful eye of Dumbledore at the head table, the couple refrained from looking at each other, which led to a most interesting and surprising discovery. Harry called to Fawkes while chewing his way through his second piece of toast, and saw Luna go rigid at the Ravenclaw table.

"Harry?"

At the sound of his girlfriend's voice, Harry too stiffened, but quickly relaxed before Dumbledore's gaze could sweep over him again. "Luna? Is that you?"

"Wha- why can we hear each other Harry?"

"I don't know love, but I'm about to find out: Fawkes?"

A moment later the Phoenix's voice came into Harry's head, and the young Wizard could feel Fawkes' shock at feeling Luna listening in to their conversation. "Harry, can Luna hear us?"

"Yes Fawkes, I can hear you – Harry; you have a colony of Mugwumps making nests in your hair." Harry unconsciously reached up and ran a hand through his hair – causing Luna to giggle slightly at the Ravenclaw table – triggering a few odd looks from her fellow house-mates.

"Well this is odd…"

Harry kept eating his toast and hummed in agreement. "I assume that this wasn't really meant to be a side-effect of the bonding ceremony?"

"No, it was never mentioned."

Luna joined in the conversation at that moment. "Perhaps it's because he communicated telepathically with you, and when we bonded he passed that trait along to me?"

Taken aback by the young woman's well thought out theory, it took a couple of seconds for the Phoenix to reply. "It's a definite possibility – but if that carried across then you should also have inherited Harry's Parseltongue.

"Well I'm not going to try it here; I think I would get a few more odd looks than usual if I did receive Harry's talent for talking to snakes."

Neither Harry nor Fawkes could fault her logic, and the Phoenix informed the two of them that he would be gone for a day or two trying to figure out the full extent of their bond to one another, and closed his link after reminding the couple about their training session with Dilys and Armando that afternoon.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione walked to potions together, Luna walked past them, and Ron passed a comment that damn near made Harry want to punch the rotten git in the mouth. "She's a real loony that one – a bit funny in the head I'd say."

Harry replied to that comment twice – once verbally to the red-haired twat, and once over his telepathic link to Luna. "Yeah, she's a bit screwed up in the head, eh Ron?" To which the Weasley grunted enthusiastically. Even knowing that Harry hadn't meant it, it still would have hurt Luna to hear it – but Harry had made sure that his comment in her head completely dismissed his hurtful comment. "Shut up you back-stabbing little sod, she's the most wonderful woman I've ever met; she's smart, she's beautiful, and I'm _HERS._"

While Hermione thought that the smile on Luna's face was simply to cover up the hurt from the two boy's comments, Harry knew better, and smiled to himself when she replied lovingly in his mind. "I'm yours as well Harry – I love you."

"I love you too Luna, I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

Both Harry and Luna were looking forward to their first lesson with their new mentors, and they both arrived at the statue of Boris the Bewildered, puffing and smiling excitedly. Harry placed his palm on the rock, and immediately they began to shift aside, eventually leaving a narrow corridor leading to the room which Harry had completed the Power Ritual in. As soon as they stepped inside, the wall closed behind them and the corridor lit up with the flickering flames of the torches on the walls. When they exited the corridor, both of them found themselves stunned at what faced them. Both Harry and Luna knew that it was simply an illusion, but it was amazing all the same.

They were stood in the middle of the school's Quidditch pitch, and after walking out into the middle it became obvious that the room had been expanded to be about the same size – an incredible feat of magic. Still awed, the two jumped slightly when the voices of Dilys and Armando came from behind them, and the two young adults fell over when they saw the ex-Headmaster and ex-Headmistress standing – in the flesh – directly in front of them. Dilys chuckled quietly at their expressions, while Armando went for an all-out belly laugh. "Don't be so surprised, it's just an illusion – this room is virtually a replica of the Room of Requirement, and since you two needed tutors it freed us from our paintings for the time being." He looked a little down when he finished the explanation. "We will be forced back into our respective portraits when we leave here however."

Harry caught the resentful tone from Armando and smiled reassuringly at him. "Well we'll be in here a lot, so get used to it."

Harry's comment having brightened his tutors' day, Dilys began the training in earnest. She paced in front of the two young adults while twirling her wand in-between her fingers, her grey hair trailing behind her in the wind. "Dumbledore has been, and is a disgrace to the light for not training you Harry. The fact that you are now bonded and you have both received a considerable boost to your powers warrants a course of intense preparation – and not in the normal school subjects either." The old woman turned to Luna and raised an eyebrow. "You _have_ noticed your new power, have you not?"

Luna nodded and cast a sideways glance at Harry. "Yes, I've been refraining from casting spells for the past week ever since I transfigured a tea-cosy into an elephant – I had to obliviate the entire class including Professor McGonagall, which I really didn't like doing."

Harry raised his eyebrows, and looked a little bit hurt. "Luna, why didn't you tell me?"

Her silver eyes turned to face him, and she didn't look the least apologetic. "I was going to tell you at the end of the week, after we had gotten completely settled in together." She lowered her eyes to the ground and blushed lightly. "I want to take this slow Harry, I'm not used to having a friend let alone a soul-mate – I need time."

Harry immediately felt guilty, and placed a hand on her shoulder – causing the young woman to look up into his eyes. "I understand Luna, I would never force you into anything – and I'm sorry that I assumed you were holding something back from me."

She nodded and smiled up at the raven-haired Wizard before placing a quick kiss on his cheek and nuzzling against his chest. The two students completely forgot the presence of their tutors, and jumped when Dilys cleared her throat. The quickly broke apart and turned to see the reactions from their teachers, sighing in relief when they saw the matching smiles on their faces. "I'm glad you held back Luna; without knowing how to control your magic you are extremely dangerous – which is an issue you and I will be addressing this afternoon."

Harry frowned and was about to open his mouth when Armando clapped him friendly on the back and led him over to the other side of the field with a wide grin on his face. "You're with me Harry, and from what I can gather you might have a natural talent for our training today." The training, it turned out, was pulling pranks – something that had Harry questioning why it would be useful in the fight against Dumbledore and Tom Riddle. His mentor's answer was far more sombre than his introduction to the training. "Don't be deceived Harry, pranks can save your life. You need to learn how to fully use your wandless and thought-based magic to its full potential; if you can distract you enemy for a split second by summoning a furry pink rabbit, then so be it."

Over the course of the next five hours, Harry learnt just how much he had underestimated the use of the spells he had always considered as entertainment. In a mock duel between the mentor and his student, Harry found himself thrice confronted by large pink rabbits holding flags which proudly displayed the slogan "Potter Loves Luna!", and he had to admit that they were immensely distracting, and gave his mentor the hesitation he needed to petrify him each time – even though Harry was expecting it.

On the other side of the field, Luna was working just as hard – and found herself straining with her newfound power. Eventually she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, and Harry sprinted over to her from the other side of the field, his face creased with worry. "Luna, are you alright?"

She panted softly and smiled reassuringly at Harry. "I'm fine, but I just can't seem to control the power – I always use too much."

Harry nodded, and suggested she rest for a few minutes before taking Dilys to the side and explaining the spell he had used to control his own powers. Dilys listened carefully to Harry, and nodded at his suggestion. "I think that it might be a good idea to perform the same spell on Luna, Harry. She is not quite as powerful as you – so I suggest you lower the power limiters slightly." Harry nodded and quickly performed the calculations in his head, leaving Dilys quite flustered when –within ten seconds – he pulled out his wand and cast the spell confidently at Luna. Too late, the ex-Headmistress forced Harry's arm aside – and she looked at him with no small amount of fury. "How could you?"

Harry was completely at a loss as to what he had done wrong, but he found out a moment later when the woman yelled right in his face – missing the shocked and astounded looks that she was receiving from Luna and Armando. "She trusted you, and you cast a spell that needed careful modification without a second thought!" A realization was beginning to dawn on Harry, and he tried to interject but found himself forcefully cut off by the livid Witch in front of him. "You have no decency Mr Potter, and I find it a disgrace that you would act so recklessly towards your bonded."

She turned to stride away from the stunned boy, but froze when he spoke quietly behind her back. "The Sonorous charm has the levels gauged and regulated by a power matrix, which can be calculated and by extension rearranged by placing the constituent elements into a mathematical equation. I simply rearranged the matrix to suit Luna's needs, applied the modified algorithm to the base on which I originally created the spell, rearranged the elements mathematically to suit her gender and element preference, and then reconstructed the spell into its finished form." The stunned Witch turned slowly around and saw her Charge's eyes glowing firmly at her. "I could go into the mathematics, but I would be wasting the remaining hour we have here, and then some." His eyes pulsed slightly, and the elderly woman unconsciously took a step back. "I would never do anything to intentionally harm Luna – and I most certainly would not cast a spell on her unless I had checked it over for inconsistencies and dangers several times beforehand; which is exactly what I did."

His eyes slowly dulled as he took in a deep breath, and then calmly walked over to Luna, who was still sitting, shocked at her boyfriend's words, before sitting on his haunches in front of her. "Did you really do all that in such a short time Harry?"

In harsh contrast with his previous outburst, he looked away sheepishly and scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well…yeah…I kind of studied a lot more than people thought in my time here – I just keep my grades a bit lower than average to not raise suspicion."

"But it's impossible…" Harry turned around to face Dillys, a curious look on his face with no hint of the anger that had been there previously. "Such a spell surely could not be modified in such a short amount of time…"

Harry shook his head in disagreement. "I never thought so; I was always especially talented with numbers and complex calculations and soon after I started Arithmancy I bent it to my needs." He gave his teacher a cheeky wink, which prompted her to look at the young boy, who only moments before had been equally as furious as her, amazed. "I did cheat a bit though; I already performed the brunt of the modifications after the Power Ritual, so all I needed to do was substitute in some values and tailor it slightly for Luna."

Turning back to his partner, he smiled and helped her to her feet – not missing the still-stunned look on her face. "When we start studying together you'll see just how dedicated I am; my legendary dedication – or immense lack of – is a bit of a façade to curb the attention away from me." Luna just had time to have the thought that Harry would never stop surprising her, before said Wizard clapped his hands excitedly. "So, let's see you in action!"

In her head however, he quickly supplied her with the safe word and the specifics – information which she absorbed like a sponge, and then smiled warmly at Harry before retreating back to her own mind with a lingering 'thank you' in his head. Looking slightly apprehensive about the situation, Luna turned towards a small boulder nearby and quietly muttered the curse in her mind, a second later the _Reducto_ curse speeding from the tip of her wand and blasting quite a hefty chunk of rock from the boulder. Her eyes widened and she jumped happily around for a few seconds before engulfing Harry in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She giggled and broke away from Harry excitedly, before running around for a couple more minutes with a wide grin on her face. Harry was smiling just as happily when she returned to his side, and he quickly leant down and whispered something in her ear – something that made her grin return full force.

Her empty hand shot out, and the already ruined boulder exploded into a fine dust, before quickly being sucked back together with a hastily cast _Repairo_ from Harry. Luna looked down at her hands in shock, and Harry saw them begin to shake. He quickly lifted her head up, and forced her eyes to lock with his. "Don't you dare think that – you are not a danger to anybody except those that are worthy of such peril; you will _not_ hurt anybody - I promise." She searched his eyes worriedly for a few seconds before she allowed herself to accept his words, and stop shaking in fear. Harry hugged her tightly for a moment before letting her go, and with absolutely no warning to his mentors whatsoever – not even a battering of his eyelash – Harry dredged up an old memory and forced it into the air around them. Dumbledore's voice echoed angrily in the field, "This is unacceptable!"

Harry was glad he had given his girlfriend a warning through their link, else her reaction may have been the exact same as Dilys' and Armando's. Both of their faces drained of all colour, and they spun wildly around – attempting to locate the dangerous Headmaster – freezing when they both felt wands pressed against their necks. "You, dear sir and madam,"

"Are dead." Finished Luna and she lowered her wand from the ex-Headmistress, while Harry grinned cheekily at Armando.

It took a couple of seconds for the entire situation to sink in, but when it did Armando let out a great belly-laugh and clapped Harry appreciatively on his back, before pulling Luna into his side as well. "Oh you two are going to be an absolute pleasure to teach!"


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later, Luna did indeed find out just how dedicated Harry was to his studies. She had just crept into the Gryffindor Common Room after creating a doppelganger of herself in her dormitory, and she turned around, shocked by a sudden sound behind her. She turned to see a sight that made her smile lovingly at the sleeping man. Harry was sprawled out on the couch, the centre table crammed to overflowing with large, leather tomes and scribbled notes, and a small, leather volume clasped in his hand. She walked over to Harry and wandlessly summoned a blanked to place over him, already noticing that he had cast a not-notice-me charm around himself, before settling down in a chair opposite the sleeping Wizard and beginning to read through his extensive collection of notes.

It was just after midnight that Harry awoke, and he smiled at the sight of the silver-eyed blonde absorbed in the seven-scroll essay he had written on the methods he had adapted for use with Arithmancy. With a thought, a steaming cup of hot cocoa materialised in front of the woman, and he watched in amusement as her nose tWitched at the smell, before it finally broke her concentration enough to make her look up. When she saw the cup, she turned her head and smiled thankfully at Harry. After taking a sip of her drink, she motioned to his essay. "This is incredible Harry – it's almost criminal to keep it to yourself, even though I know why."

Harry nodded and sat up before conjuring himself a cup of hot chocolate. "I will share it, in time." He smiled at her. "I don't intend to simply live on my family fortune like I understand Malfoy does; I want us to live comfortably – but on our own merits." Luna felt her love for Harry grow when he said that, and she leant over – pecking him quickly on the cheek to tell him so. Harry smiled warmly for a moment, but soon glanced cheekily at her. "Thank you for that – I was afraid I would start suffering withdrawal if I didn't get my fix soon." She swatted him lightly on his arm, giggling lightly before the two began studying in earnest – only calling it quits when they looked up at the clock, the hour hand of which was pointing towards the three. With a wave of his hand, all of the books and notes packed themselves neatly up, and begun marching up the stairs to his bedroom.

As the two followed one of the Dark Arts books up the stairs, Luna questioned him. "Why do you still use your arm with wandless magic?" He smiled at her, having anticipated the question sooner or later, and paused in the middle of the staircase. "It's comforting – I remember Lupin doing it when he was teaching me to cast the _Patronus_ charm." He smiled fondly at the memory before turning back to Luna. "And because you can do things like this. He flung his hand out towards the fireplace, and Luna flinched; expecting a wall of flame or something just as destructive to come rushing out any moment.

It didn't, and she frowned at Harry – who was smiling slightly. "It didn't work."

He nodded his head and smiled lecherously at her. "Oh yes it did." It was at that moment that Luna felt a cool breeze around her nether regions, and she squealed loudly before rushing up the stairs and disappearing into Harry's dormitory. Said Wizard chuckled lightly to himself, and walked slowly up the stairs, giving Luna time to change before he joined her. When he reached the curtains to his bed however, he found that they wouldn't budge an inch. He frowned slightly and tugged harder at the red velvet, but to no avail. "Luna, can you please let me in?"

The reply he received was not what he was hoping for – a muffled 'no' permeating the thick fabric. Harry sighed deeply – he knew that she mightn't have appreciated the spell, but he hadn't meant any harm by it; he had only wanted to demonstrate the usefulness of deception. He leant against the curtain and sighed; happy he had placed his dorm-mates under a stasis charm before entering the room. "Luna, I'm sorry if I went a little too far. I didn't mean to upset you – it was just the first thing to pop into my head at the time." Silence followed his words, but a moment later he felt the wards around the bed drop, and he warily pulled them aside and stepped into their room. A few candles illuminated the space, and his eyes almost immediately fell to the golden-haired Ravenclaw who was already lying in the bed, her back turned to him. Silently the young Wizard changed into a t-shirt and his boxers before pulling the covers aside and resting his back against the headboard. "Luna, why did it upset you so much? I really didn't think you would react like you did."

The woman next to him didn't answer for some time, but Harry patiently waited; knowing that she would answer when she was ready. When she did, she spoke quietly, her back still to Harry. "You're the first friend I've ever had Harry. I once attended a muggle school, but I was made fun of and my father took me out when he heard about the insults and bullying." Her shoulders slumped as she relived the memories, and Harry had to forcefully stop himself from reaching over and pulling her into a hug – she needed to get this off her chest. "But it didn't stop; it got worse. Dad would send me on errands to the local magic village when I was ten; to pick up some food, some paper, or delivering messages to the townsfolk." She shook slightly, and Harry realized with a start that she was silently sobbing. He placed a hand reassuringly on her bare shoulder and she slowly stopped shuddering. "They did such horrible things Harry; such mean and hateful things – I never thought people could be so cruel, but they were. A lot of the older children by that time already had their wands, and the town was surrounded by a set of wards that disrupted the Ministries monitoring of underage magic which allowed them to freely use their powers."

Harry had already guessed at what was to come, and he pushed back the inevitable swell of anger. "At first it was just little things, like turning a piece of ground to ice so that I would slip, or stealing my purse so that I had no money, but it turned so horrible so quickly. Some of the first years who were attending Wizarding schools began to get quite serious with the spells they used – I was once set on fire, but a man nearby put me out before I was burned." Harry gritted his teeth in a silent rage, but continued to give Luna his support, and listen.

"They started stealing my clothes after that – I once ran home in only my underwear, crying all the way – but it was one time in January that was the worst. I was twelve at the time, and dad had sent me into Ottery St Catchpole to get some supplies that he needed to finish the daft of that month's Quibbler. I dressed up as warm as I could because of the snow outside, and then began walking. I arrived about an hour later without much fuss, entered the local stationary store, brought the items that dad needed, and then began walking back.

"I was half-way through the village when it happened. Immediately all of my clothes were banished from my body, and I was covered in ice cold water – but not before somebody cast a slicing hex at my back." Harry's eyes flicked downwards to her clothed back, and she nodded at his unasked question – not even needing to turn around to feel his uneasy inquiry. Hesitantly he lifted the hem of her turquoise night-dress, and gasped when he uncovered the scar that had been hidden. A vicious, ragged scar ran from her lower back, and continued diagonally all the way up to her shoulder blade – easily visible, even against her pale skin. Slowly, and gently, Harry ran his fingers over the healed gash, and she continued. "I was so scared Harry, I ran as fast as I could from the village. I was crying so hard, and I was so shaken that I got lost – and the cold begun to sink into me." Harry dropped his hand from her back and tenderly pulled the silk back over her bare skin, before shuffling closer and stoking her hair – prompting her to continue – even though he was risking his temper.

"The next thing I knew, I was at St Mungo's Hospital. When I woke up I was told that I had suffered from severe blood loss and hypothermia. I was lucky to be alive. Daddy told me that the baker from the village had been collecting some grain from his supplier when he saw the blood in the snow, and he had apparated me immediately to the hospital when he found me." She lowered her head to her pillow sadly. "I've never been to the village ever again."

Harry sat there for quite some time. At first there was only anger, and the want to apparate immediately to the small village and curse the people that had caused Luna such pain and torment – but the ferocity soon changed into a deeper, more controlled anger – much the same as the hate he held for the Headmaster. Harry knew that Luna wouldn't want him to use violence unless it was against Voldemort or his followers, but he knew he had to do something about it – and so he made a mental note to think about it later.

Eventually, the maelstrom of emotion in Harry stilled, and all that was left was concern and love for the young Witch lying beside him. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and rolled her over to face him, his heart aching at the pain he saw in her eyes. He spoke gently, not wanting to raise his voice at the hurt Ravenclaw. "I'm so sorry Luna, if I had've known I would never have done something to bring back that memory." Even before he spoke, Luna had forgiven him, and let him know with a gentle brush of her lips against his cheek. He gave her a tender look, and pulled her to him. "I know you've been through some terrible things Luna, and I'm always here to listen." He looked into her clear, silver eyes and saw the trust there, trust that he wanted to replicate.

After a few moments, he began speaking – and Luna looked up, shocked, at the words that came from his mouth. "I lived in a cupboard until I was fourteen…" Over the next five hours, Harry told Luna everything he had hidden from everybody he had ever known without the slightest bit of hesitation. Luna felt much the same emotions Harry had when she heard of his abusive caregivers, if they could be called that, and growled in anger when Harry explained that Dumbledore had purposely put him there to scar him.

"He failed miserably however," Harry smiled. Luna looked up at her boyfriend with no small amount of confusion, but when he leant down and placed a tender kiss on her lips it all became clear. "He couldn't stop me from loving you."

* * *

**A/N: In this scene I have included a word dubbed by jbern in his story: ****Bungle in the Jungle: A Harry Potter Adventure. ****Spellchaining is the word, and I thank jbern very much for allowing me to use his creation!**

Harry and Luna were both fighting viciously against their tutors – on complete opposite ends of the field mind you. Harry was furiously spellchaining; casting spells one after another in a sequence that flowed together in a rhythm, repeated over and over, allowing the young Wizard to cast the spells at an extraordinary rate – and the fact that the mantra had reached the yelling stage in Harry's head meant that Armando had collapsed under the barrage in a matter of seconds.

Luna was doing quite the opposite from Harry, and was fighting to defend herself from her mentor's spellchaining efforts, forcing more power into her shields and dashing behind cover that she had summoned out of nowhere. As Harry helped Armando to his feet, he looked proudly over at his girlfriend holding her ground against the experienced ex-Headmistress. After a moment's observation, he turned to Armando seriously. "I need your help."

Over the next ten minutes, Harry outlined his plan to the old Wizard – and at the end of it all Armando stood still, brooding. After a few minutes he turned to Harry. "As your mentor for fighting the darkness, I would highly recommend that you don't follow through with this endeavour." Harry opened his mouth complain, but was interrupted by Armando's raised hand. "As your friend however, I heartily agree that it would be something that would help both your and Luna's emotional scars – and I believe that such healing would be beneficial to the two of you during your fights." He smiled warmly at Harry. "I would love to help Harry."

Both Dilys and Armando had decided early on that they would teach the two students separately; Luna would be taught defence, and Harry offence. The logic behind this was that if they were to get attacked tomorrow, Luna would be able to cover Harry's back far better than he would himself if he was learning both of the disciplines at the same time. Conversely, with Harry being trained specifically in the offensive arts, he would be the spearhead for their attacks. This arrangement would remain until their mentors deemed them ready to swap, and Harry would learn defence with Dilys while Armando would teach Luna the specifics of offence. Due to Harry's power, immense knowledge of the dark arts and duelling, and lightning fast reflexes from Quidditch, Armando had already decided that Harry was ready to move onto defence, and what the young Wizard had asked him for help with was the perfect opportunity to begin on the new subject.

Harry had even gone so far as to bypass his magic limiting spell when casting an illusion over his side of the field, and so Luna was none the wiser regarding Harry's plan and Armando's secret training. Over the next month Harry attended classes, was best friends with Hermione and the traitor, blatantly flirted with Ginny, and acted as obedient as a five year old. The reality was far from the illusion he cast. Already Dilys and Armando had agreed Harry could easily pass his NEWT subjects with a 100% score, and Luna had been ecstatic to learn that they held her in exactly the same stead, and so Harry had devised a spell which allowed both him and his girlfriend to listen to their mentors during class time, while projecting the illusion that they were working diligently in the classes which they so happily ignored. Since discussing his plan with Armando however, Harry had been increasing his time with the portrait of the Headmaster to incredible hours – to the point where the elderly tutor had to refuse teaching the young Wizard until he got a good night's sleep.

It turned out that Harry slept for a sound forty two hours – something which had Luna very worried, but Harry laid her fears to rest by telling her that he had been feeling a bit under the weather, and that the training must have been affecting him more than he thought with the illness. Immediately afterwards however, Harry resumed his intense training with Armando, although he did make sure to set aside enough hours for sleep to the ex-Headmaster's immense relief. Eventually the term had come to an end, and the four weeks' worth of holidays would begin as soon as they stepped off the train the following afternoon. Harry had finally decided that he was as ready as he would ever be, and made sure to spend the entire day with Luna under the most powerful not-notice-me charm they could conjure together. Fawkes had followed – with their permission – from a discreet distance to make sure that their wards stayed strong enough to trick even the meddling Headmaster himself.

The couple's relationship had progressed over the months they had been together, but not in the normal fashion. They had already been sleeping in the same bed for quite some time, and they enjoyed their tender, and sometimes quite passionate kissing sessions, but physically nothing had progressed past that point – something which the pair had wordlessly established a mere month ago; they both realized that there was no need to rush. What _had_ progressed however was their trust in one another. Luna fully opened herself up to Harry, confiding her deepest fears and secrets to him – all of which not another living soul knew about. Harry had done exactly the same, and found it to be the most wonderful feeling to release all the pain and anguish he had kept pent up for his entire life. Slowly their scars had begun to heal, but they both knew that there was a long way to go before they would be completely free of their inner demons.

The pair was currently sitting alone in the astronomy tower watching the setting sun - every other person who had approached having felt the unusual urge to go and eat a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Luna had her head comfortably resting on Harry's chest, and the raven-haired boy was gently stroking her silky hair. The comfortable silence that had settled over the pair was suddenly broken by the silver-eyed Witch – Harry looking down in surprise when he heard her voice. "I won't be able to do it Harry." The anguish in her eyes tore at Harry's heart, but he firmly held onto his resolve as she continued. "I won't be able to go even a week without you Harry; you're as much a part of me as my soul."

Harry gently stroked her soft cheek with the back of his finger and smiled sadly at her. "I'll miss you too Luna – you're everything to me as well; but I'll always be a word away: you know that."

When she replied, her voice was desperate. "But I need you _beside_ me Harry; I need you; all of you!"

Harry pulled her into a hug and whispered tenderly into her ear. "You're strong Luna. Trust me when I say that it is nearly tearing my heart from my chest right now, but we will always be together – past death; for eternity." He pulled back and placed a loving kiss on her forehead before meeting her wet eyes. "I _will_ be beside you Luna – forever." He stroked her cheek once again. "Never forget that Luna; never."

Their separation was nearly unbearable – even with what Harry knew. Fawkes had given them the last ten minutes of the trip in private – completely securing one of the cabins from any intrusion – where both of them cried and hugged each other while whispering just how much they loved one another. The moment Harry saw Luna disappear with her father was horrible. The second before they disappeared, Harry had caught the look in her eyes, and he had fallen to his knees at the complete and utter anguish he saw there. When Ginny ran over to see what the problem was, and why he was crying, he muttered something about Sirius and received understanding nods from the entire Weasely clan before leaving with the Dursleys.

Tears leaked from his eyes the whole way to the car, and both Vernon and Dudley were about to comment quite rudely on the spectacle – but violently stopped themselves short when they saw Harry's green eyes pulsing with light. For the entire trip back from the train station not a word was said, and the silence continued all the way into the house, and only disappeared when Harry's door had closed behind him.

The silence ended for Harry as well, who was saved by a quick silencing charm from the Phoenix at the window. He yelled almost inhumanly, his pain, anger and elf-hate spilling over along with his magic – he had vowed to himself never to hurt Luna like he just had – he had never hated somebody so much in his entire life, and that person was himself. After half an hour his magical tirade ended with the young Wizard crumpled on the carpet, crying and slamming his fists into the floor – the shaking Dursleys downstairs collapsing in relief when they felt the hateful magic cease. Fawkes apparated soundlessly inside the room, and gently approached his master – well aware of the fragile state he was in. "Harry, stop this now – I beg you."

"I hurt her."

"No, you didn't. Dumbledore hurt her by not allowing you to be together – stop this now Harry; she would hate to see you like this."

The Phoenix's last words struck a nerve with Harry, and he slowly stood up and brushed himself off before quickly waving his hand and repairing his ruined room instantly. He stood, quiet for a moment, before turning to the Phoenix and smiling thankfully. "You're right Fawkes – I'm sorry if I had you worried."

The fiery bird shook his head. "There is nothing to forgive Harry; I know the agony that you feel – I am your Familiar after all." Harry nodded gratefully at the Phoenix, and the bird cocked his head in amusement. "I do feel compelled to remind you however, that the faster you start on those spells and wards, the faster your plan can be put into motion."

Fawkes had never seen a Wizard or Witch so determined in his entire life, and that was saying something. Harry worked himself for nearly twenty-four hours straight before collapsing from exhaustion, sleeping for ten hours, and then working for ten more before collapsing onto his bed for a quick two hour nap which he forced Fawkes to wake him from. Wards in place, Harry spoke the activation phrase, and immediately a life-like Harry appeared over the other side of the room. The clone of Harry grinned at him. "Well get your bloody skates on Potter, and give those muggles hell on the way out!"

Harry was more than pleased to oblige. He unlocked his door, and then proceeded to do something he had never before dared to do. Harry stomped, loudly, down the stairs. Almost immediately, Vernon appeared in the hallway and, having seeming to have forgotten the fear the young Wizard had instilled in him a mere twenty three hours previously, turned a fascinating puce colour and began yelling. "What the hell do you think you're doing Boy?"

Harry coolly looked at his furious uncle and replied. "I believe that I am thumping down the stairs. I was attempting to imitate Dudley sneaking, and I thought I did quite well."

Vernon clearly didn't take that statement very well, and Harry saw the look of immense glee on Dudley's face as he realized that Harry was promptly going to be splattered against the wall. Petunia was glaring at him with unbridled hatred – Harry assumed for his hurtful comments towards her 'little Dudders' and his weight, and was watching Vernon advance on Harry with a look that clearly said that she thought justice was being served. By this point, Vernon was one step away from Harry, and had raised his hand to hit the young man. Harry watched, amused, as his Uncle's arm swung downwards and coolly looked the shocked man in the face when his hand came to an abrupt halt mere millimetres away from his nose. "Bad doggy, no biscuit."

With a flick of his fingers, a blinding red stunner impacted against the fat man's chest and sent him careering down the hallway, before the wall at the end stopped his forward momentum with a rather loud crunch and he crumpled to the floor. Petunia screamed and rushed over to her fallen husband, while Dudley simply stood, stupefied, at the sight he had just witnessed. Harry walked down the last of the stairs and subtley cast _Enervate_ at the unconscious slob, who shot up like a hot poker had been shoved somewhere rather unpleasant.

Harry's nonchalant attitude turned colder, and, ignoring the silent yells of all three of his relatives, spoke. "Silencing charm." Their mouths all snapped shut, and Harry raised his hand to point at the lounge. "Everyone in there now." The three muggles angrily pulled themselves from the floor – or at least Petunia and Vernon did – and glared at Harry as they filed into the small room. Harry motioned to the couch and then sat down in one of the armchairs, an act which clearly caused his two eldest relatives to grit their teeth in frustration. Harry sat, silent for a few moments before motioning to Vernon and releasing him from the silencing charm. "I assume you have something to say Uncle Vernon?"

"You little brat! How dare you attack me; we give you a roof over your head and this is how you repay us?"

"It's hardly much of a roof Uncle Vernon; it leaks frequently."

The puce faced man spluttered for a moment. "That's beside the point Boy! You attacked me!"

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Well Uncle Vernon, I didn't realize that defending myself was illegal – but I think that child abuse just might be…"

Vernon's face had bypassed puce, and had turned a fascinating shade of purple – which secretly impressed the young Wizard. "You dare accuse me of that you Freak?"

"Yes Uncle Vernon, I do."

Once again he spluttered for a few moments, and, seeing that he wasn't going to contribute anything much else to the conversation, Harry recast the silencing spell – instead freeing Petunia; he found the triumphant look in her eyes most intriguing. "You stupid Boy," she spat, "You used magic! You'll be expelled from that little Freak school you go to, and you'll never see your freakish friends ever again!"

Harry slowly sat back in his chair, not an ounce of emotion on his face – watching in amusement as Petunia's, Vernon's and Dudley's eye lit up at the prospect of more misery in his life. "I don't think that's actually going to happen Aunt Petunia."

The evil woman's smirk fell, and she snarled her next question at her nephew. "Why not?"

"Well you see, the Ministry can only detect magic that passes through wands…and I haven't used my wand for the past three days." Their open mouths clearly spelled out their feelings on the matter, and he leant forwards in his chair, not missing their flinches at his movement. "I used wandless magic, and trust me when I saw that I can do far, far worse." The fear in his relatives eyes plainly showed their understanding, and Harry allowed a friendly smile to spread across his face. "Good! I'm glad we understand one another. Now, for the rest of the time I'm here, this is how things are going to work: none of you will speak to me unless spoken to. I will do no chores whatsoever, and I expect to be fed three times a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Essentially, you don't bother me, I don't bother you."

Harry frowned at a stray thought, remembering the Order's members watching his house. "On second thought, Uncle Vernon, I know you like yelling at me, and I want you to continue doing so – but nothing physical," he warned. "Dudley, I want you and your gang to continue pestering me, I swear on my life that there will be no repercussions for either of you. Are we all in agreement with the arrangements?" At their terrified nods, Harry smiled and stood from his seat. "Excellent. I look forward to living with you." And with a soundless flash, Harry was gone. Petunia found it in herself to faint at the sight.


	6. Chapter 6

Nearly one thousand kilometres away, a middle-aged, brown-haired man was walking along a leaf-covered path, breathing in the fresh, country air with a smile on his face, whistling merrily as the leaves crunched under his black, shined shoes. He twirled his cane deftly in his hand, and proceeded to drop his jaw and freeze when he turned the next corner.

The house that faced the man was perhaps the oddest structure he had ever seen. Sitting in the middle of a beautiful, flower-filled meadow was what resembled half a sphere, with odd semi-circular protrusions poking out of its dimpled surface. The man, after a few minutes of astounded gazing, likened it to a mutant golf ball. Pulling himself back together, he straightened his dress robes and tie, took a deep breath, and began his approach on the house. Three steps into the meadow however, the Wizard discovered that getting to the doorstep would not be quite as easy as he had originally anticipated.

Unaware of the two-person audience he had acquired, the Wizard begun to fight his way through the vines and plants that sprang up to trap him – deftly flipping and gliding through the dangers, almost as if participating in a delicate dance. To be honest, the suited man was thoroughly enjoying himself, and laughed happily as he somersaulted over a rather large flower which had tried to bite off his leg. He even went back for seconds, diving back through the meadow to give it another chance to catch him. The golden-haired man on the porch raised an eyebrow at the intruder's antics, and watched as he finally reached the gate to his house.

The man once again tidied himself, brushing a stray vine off his shoulder in the process, and then opened the gate. He finally realized the audience he had produced, and he calmly walked towards the balcony – raising his eyebrow when he saw the young Witch pull out her wand and tense slightly. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and bowed slightly to the man above him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr Lovegood. My name is Artemis Coleman, and I have some information which may be of interest to the Quibbler's followers."

The slight suspicion from the older man disappeared almost instantaneously, but Artemis noted that the blonde Witch didn't relax in the slightest. Xenophilius Lovegood walked down the stairs with a wide smile on his face and firmly took Artemis' hand before shaking it warmly. "Wonderful to meet you too Artemis, please feel free to call me Xeno." He motioned for Artemis to follow him inside, and led him into the kitchen before asking Luna to put the kettle on.

She slid her wand back up her sleeve and nodded to her father, but made sure to keep an eye on the man as he talked with her only living parent. Xenophilius leant forward excitedly in his chair, his hands clasped together in front of him on the table. "So, what have you found?"

"Well it's not so much what I've found, rather it is more what I have kept hidden."

Xenophilius frowned at that, and cocked his head inquisitively to the side. "How so?"

Artemis reached into his pocket, and Luna tensed until she saw the small slip of paper in his hand. He slid the yellowed parchment across the table, and Xeno's eyes widened when he saw what it was. "My family has owned the Whipshield Woods for the past twenty generations Mr Lovegood, and we have made sure that it is properly warded from intruders and pests."

The Quibbler's author raised his head eagerly. "You've warded against pests, which means there is a creature in the woods."

Artemis nodded. "Indeed. My ancestor found six Pekingese Spatbelchers when he first brought the property." Xeno's eyes widened at the mention of the long-extinct creatures, and even Luna gasped. Artemis nodded at the two of them and smiled. "We've been breeding them ever since. We have over five thousand in our forests, and I heard that both you and your daughter are always interested in breeding near-extinct animals. I would like – with your permission of course – to start a colony in your woods."

A silence followed the breeder's statement, but in a flurry of activity Xenophilius Lovegood sprung from his chair and pulled Artemis into a bear-hug, nearly in tears. "Yes, yes, yes Mr Coleman!" Artemis laughed and gently pushed the teary man away. After a moment's recovery, Xeno asked the question he'd been dying to inquire about since the mention of the creatures. "Can I see them?"

It was at this point that Artemis' ulterior motives were allowed to move forward, and he gave the blonde-haired man a grin. "Of course Mr Lovegood, but before I do, as a security measure, I will need to test your mental shields – only if you are agreeable of course." At the author's nod, and under Luna's suspicious eye, Artemis pulled out his wand and cast the spell. "Legilimens!" Not pushing a hundredth of how hard he could have, Artemis probed the man's defences before slowly increasing his power until he pierced the mental blockade. It took the Legilimens only a split second to feel what he had been looking for, and he immediately pulled out.

Xenophilius looked at Artemis with no small amount of surprise. "You broke in awfully fast; I only know of one other man who can match your speed." Artemis frowned and inquired who it was, only mildly surprised at the answer. "Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Artemis forced a humbled expression onto his face and smiled at Luna's father. "I'm honoured that you hold my skills in the same stead Mr Lovegood; our family rarely gets complimented on out talents, although our secrecy probably has something to do with it."

Xenophilius smiled understandingly, and Artemis nodded to him, motioning that he should look into his mind. The blonde-haired Lovegood pulled his wand from his pocket and intoned the same words that Artemis had said only minutes previously. With a flash, he found himself inside the mind of Artemis, and immediately he tried to pull back when he realized that it was a fake. Artemis held him there however, and quickly spoke to calm the man. "I'm not here to harm you or your daughter Mr Lovegood, relax and calm your face."

Luna had instantly brought her wand to bear when she saw the worried look on her father's face, but relaxed when it calmed. In Artemis' head, an interesting conversation was taking place. "Who are you really Mr Coleman?"

"I am a man who care deeply for your daughter sir." With a flash, Xeno found himself walking down a country lane with Artemis at his side.

"What kind of relationship do you have with my daughter?"

Artemis frowned, and answered with a question of his own. "Are you a member of the Order of the Phoenix Mr Lovegood?"

Xenophilius froze mid-step, and looked at Artemis – his suspicion increasing tenfold. "How do you know of the Order?"

"Because they are constantly watching me."

Luna's father paled, and he took a fearful step backwards, hissing out one word. "Voldemort."

Artemis himself froze at this, and turned slowly around to face the man – quite a put-out expression on his face. "I take great insult to that – Voldemort is an ugly, sadistic snake, and is far more evil than I could ever be."

Xenophilius' fearful look faded slightly, and he took a step towards the brown-haired man. "The who are you?"

"First answer my question; are you a member of the Order?"

With only a moment's pause, he answered. "Yes, I am."

"and do you trust Albus Dumbledore?"

Again, his answer was preceded by no hesitation at all. "With my life."

Artemis frowned at that, and took a seat at the side of the road, carefully regarding the Order member in front of him. "What if I give you proof that he is not worthy of trust?"

"If it was valid proof, then I would rethink my views."

Artemis nodded, and thought for a moment before opening his mouth and his mind. "Then be prepared."

The mysterious Wizard guided the older Lovegood through his memories, skipping some more personal ones, and twenty minutes later Xenophilius had relived several hours of the Wizard's life. He found himself back on the country road a moment later, and looked up at the man in front of him. "Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yes sir." He leant down and helped the man to his feet, then shook his hand warmly. "Luna speaks very highly of you sir."

"Bu- but you shouldn't be here Harry! The Order will be in absolute chaos!"

"Oh I highly doubt that sir; I created a clone of myself back at my lovely home that will keep the Order occupied for quite some time."

"But Dumbledore-"

"Is a traitor sir, and I did have Fawkes' help with the wards."

Over the next five minutes, Harry answered Xenophilius' myriad of questions, and eventually the man sat down in shock. "He tricked us all!" Harry nodded solemnly, and waited for the Lovegood to speak again. When he did, Harry was surprised to see a small smile on his face. "You still haven't answered _my_ question Harry; what is your relationship with my daughter?"

Harry turned beet-red at that point, and proceeded to nervously stutter out his answer. "Well sir, you see, umm – Luna and I are… very good friends, and umm, well sir, she's my girlfriend.

Harry winced, waiting for what he considered the inevitable fury from the older Lovegood, and thus was completely unprepared for the friendly slap on the back. He looked up, surprised, and saw the long blonde-haired man smiling warmly down at him. "So it was you. I can now understand why you two have kept your relationship a secret – but I could tell from the new happiness in Luna's letters home that she had found someone."

Harry let his breath out in relief and Xeno laughed. "Well I'm guessing you have a plan to surprise my daughter judging by your disguise?" Harry grinned and nodded enthusiastically before quickly filling him in on the details.

Luna sighed in relief when her father's eyes opened again, and judging by his amazed expression, the mysterious man had made good on his word. The astounded author shook himself after a second and smiled happily at Artemis. "Good lord, they are wonderful! You must stay for dinner tonight and tell me more afterwards!"

Luna tensed at her father's suggestion, and Artemis' slight grin did nothing to ease her nerves. The three magical folk sat down at the dinner table two hours later, and Luna covertly pointed her wand at the brown-haired intruder underneath the wooden bench. Harry had pushed a little magic into his eyes and could see the faint glowing of her wand through the wood, which caused him to smile slightly; Mad-eye Moody would be proud. It was halfway through the meal that Luna had cooked that Artemis begun to disappear. At first it was barely recognizable; his dark-brown hair fading to black, and his frame shrinking slightly – but even that was enough to catch the Witch's wary eye. Harry grinned as he allowed his forehead to form correctly, and acted completely indifferent when the young woman's mouth fell open at the sight of his scar. Likewise, Luna's father seemed to act as if nothing was wrong either – and Luna shook her head rather forcefully before looking back at the changing man.

Xenophilius frowned at her, concerned. "Luna, are you alright?" Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, and she turned quickly away after standing from the table to hide her face. "I just need a glass of water, I'll be back in a moment." Hurriedly she left the room and entered the kitchen before falling to her knees and allowing the tears to stream down her face, crying out to her bonded through their connection. "_Harry, I can't stand it anymore; I need you!"_

His reply was fainter than she had anticipated, and carried a slight echo with it. "I love you so much Luna, but I didn't think that you'd miss me by just leaving to get a drink of water." Her sobs caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat – her eyes wide open and staring at the blank wall in front of her in shock. It took a few seconds for her to unfreeze, but when she did, her legs carried her as fast as they could back to the dining room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Harry's green eyes shining lovingly back at her, and tears began to roll down her cheeks once again.

Harry stood from his seat and walked quickly over to her, and with a deep sob Luna launched herself at him – wrapping her arms tightly around his back; clinging to him as if he would disappear any second. Harry clung to her just as fiercely – having fought valiantly from doing so earlier in the day, and tenderly stroked her hair while whispering quietly in her ear. "Shhh, I'm here now, I promised I would always be by your side, and I would never leave you. Shhh now love." He continued soothing her for the next ten minutes, and finally her shaking stopped.

He placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head – not having forgotten the presence of her father – and then gently lifted her chin with his finger and looking deep into her relieved eyes. "I love you Harry, you are everything to me."

Harry's eyes softened even more, and he pulled her back to his chest again; muttering softly into her hair. "I missed you so much Luna – it felt as if my soul had been torn from my chest. I love you Luna – so, so much."

All throughout their tender exchange, Xenophilius had been watching the couple with a smile on his face and joy in his eyes, but he felt the need to talk to them both. He cleared his throat and Harry gently pulled back from Luna before leading her back to the table – sitting her in the chair beside his and not letting go of her hand once. Xeno smiled at their dedication to one another. "It looks to me, Harry, that you're a bit past the simple boyfriend/girlfriend stage." Said raven-haired Wizard opened his mouth to correct the man, but was stopped by a warm smile. "But I don't care; the love you two hold for each other is clearly eternal and genuine – and I know that neither you nor my daughter would take such a step without being serious about it."

Harry's eyes widened at the man's statement. "You know we're bonded?"

"You're what?"


	7. Chapter 7

Harry Potter cracked open his eyes with a low groan, but smiled when he saw a pair of startling, grey orbs staring lovingly at him. "Good morning."

He raised his hand and stroked her smooth cheek, causing her to gently nuzzle his fingers. "Good morning Luna." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer so his side, closing his eyes happily when he felt her fingers intertwine with his and her back come to rest on his chest. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded dreamily, and her soft voice was like music to Harry's ears. "I always sleep well when I'm with you."

He could feel her warmth seep through his t-shirt and slowly slid his palm under her silky night-gown before running his hand lightly over the scar that ran up her back. She relaxed fully into his embrace and sighed as his fingers gently massaged the damaged tissue – trusting him implicitly. After about half an hour, she turned over and pressed a kiss to Harry's lips – smiling softly. "We should get up, I'm sure that the Umgubular Slashkilters are already driving Daddy mad."

Harry nodded and stroked her cheek once more before sitting up in the bed and swinging his feet off the side. They got dressed in the presence of each other – both trusting the other to respect their privacy. When they were finished, Harry walked over to Luna and conjured a small white flower which he tucked gently behind her ear – making his bonded smile brightly up at him. They left the room together and walked down to the kitchen to find Luna's father sitting at the table writing furiously in a small notebook. As soon as he noticed their presence he slammed the cover of the small volume shut and motioned to two chairs on the opposite side of the table. Harry apprehensively sat down, and was only calmed by Luna's gentle hold on his hand.

Nobody spoke for quite some time, but in the end it was Xenophilius who broke the silence with a sigh. Harry and Luna looked over at the man and noticed that he looked as if he had been up all night. "I've thought very hard about what you told me last night, and I hope you can understand just how hard it is for me to take everything I now know at onc-" He was interrupted by a bright flash of flame on the other side of the room, and he looked nearly ready to faint when he caught sight of Fawkes. After a moment of collecting himself he continued. "Er, as I was saying, it's all very hard for me to take in at once. First I find out that Dumbledore is not only a traitor, but is more dark than light. I then get told that my daughter is bonded to her soul mate – which turns out to be you Harry, and then you drop the full story of how you are perhaps the most powerful Wizard on the planet with my daughter at a close second – and that the future resides on both your shoulders."

Harry nodded in understanding, as did Luna. "We understand Dad; but you have to believe us."

"I do Luna, I do – but even so…it'll take me some time to fully come to terms with what you have brought to my attention." He turned to Harry. "Finding out my daughter had a boyfriend was a little hard, finding out she was in love, and was loved back even harder, but finding out she was bonded…you must understand just how hard that is for me."

Harry nodded seriously. "I do, but I assure you Mr Lovegood that we are taking our relationship slowly – and are developing it emotionally before we start advancing in other ways." A slight blush covered the two teens' faces, but Xeno appreciated and respected the two of them for trusting him enough to tell him.

He sat back for a few moments and nodded to himself, as if settling the matter in his mind. "Well then, we've already established that you'll be staying for the holidays Harry, and although I'm a little apprehensive about you sharing a room with my little girl, I respect that you love her enough to be granted the privilege. What are you two planning on doing today?"

Luna thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up after a few seconds. She turned excitedly to Harry. "Harry, I have to show you our springs!"

The older Lovegood smiled approvingly at his daughter, and saw them both off with towels and swimming trunks. Harry's holidays were the best time he had ever had in his entire life, and within the first week their relationship had developed to such a point that they barely had to speak – either verbally or telepathically – to know what the other wanted or was thinking. Xenophilius had watched proudly as his daughter turned into a young woman in front of his very eyes, and by the end of the second week he had virtually accepted Harry as a part of the family – considering him the son he had never had. Fawkes had also joined Harry on his holiday, and loved having the freedom of the forest and clear skies; returning only for meals before rushing out to feel the wind in his feathers once again.

It was during the last week of the holidays that Harry decided to finally begin healing one of Luna's deepest scars – a scar that was both mental and physical. On the Tuesday, Harry had quietly told Luna that they would be going into Ottery St Catchpole to have a look at the village. She nodded, and informed him that she would wait for him to come back to the house. Harry caught her arm and she turned, surprised. "What is it Harry?"

He looked her directly in the eye. "I said that _we_ are going to the village – not just me Luna." Her eyes flashed darkly, and she twisted from his grip – her hair hiding her face from view. She began walking away from Harry, and he hurried to catch up before falling into step with her. "Luna, you have to face this!" She violently shook her head, and he rushed in front, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Luna, you must."

She flicked her head upwards, and he nearly flinched at the terrified look in her eyes and the tears running down her cheeks. "I can't Harry – isn't that I won't; I can't!"

He shook his head passionately. "You can Luna, you are strong enough to face this – and you won't be alone. I'll be by your side the entire time – I'll won't let anything happen to you." Her eyes searched his, and he never broke her gaze. "I promise you Luna – I'll be standing next to you the entire time."

Her voice was heart-breaking. "Why are you making me do this Harry, do you want me to hurt?"

Harry decided to dispel that notion right there and then, and pulled her firmly to him – squeezing her tightly and scrunching his eyes shut to stop his own tears from leaking down his own cheeks – but to no avail. "I would never Luna; I would rather die than hurt you – but we need to do this. I can see it every day; when I look into your eyes in the morning; when I kiss you; when I talk to you; when you think nobody is looking; it's always there in your eyes. I can see the pain lingering there, never letting you fully trust someone – even me."

She looked up, amazed as she felt his tears drop onto her hair – but cried at his next words. "It hurts me as much as it hurts you Luna – we're soul mates, and I feel your pain whenever you do." He swiped at his eyes, and then looked into hers. "It's wearing you away, bit by bit, and I don't want to lose you." She felt a rush of emotion roll over her; love, pain, and comfort all balled into one, and she knew it had come from the man standing in front of her. She buried her head into his chest after a moment and nodded – causing Harry to almost sob in relief. "Thank you Luna, thank you."

When the couple entered the house and told Mr Lovegood about their decision, he had looked at Luna in absolute astonishment – but had calmed when he saw the determined look on her face, and the caring expression in Harry's. The pair had gone upstairs in the odd house and had changed into something more appropriate for their destination – and had both decided on a pair of jeans and warm jerseys; Harry chuckling in amusement at the Crumple-Horned Snorkack embroidered into the material of Luna's. Hand in hand, the couple walked silently towards the village which held such terror for the young woman – and Harry noticed her tense up frequently as they neared. Every time she had, he had stopped walking and pulled her into a comforting embrace – assuring her that he was going to 'do the boyfriend thing', and that he wouldn't let anybody hurt her.

Every time, she smiled thankfully up at him – and intertwined her fingers once again with his; a new spark of courage and hope in her eyes. At the edge of the forest, Harry concentrated on his appearance and turned his hair a mousy brown, and faded his scar until it was no longer visible on his forehead. Luna smiled up at him – happy that he had kept himself much the same, and he smiled warmly back before leading her into the village. No matter how much comfort he had given Luna on the way there however, he hadn't expected her fear to disappear, and noticed that she kept very close to his side the entire way. When they arrived at the busier part of town, Harry immediately noticed the looks that both him and Luna were receiving – and didn't like it one bit. Unconsciously he pulled her closer; shielding her from the smirks and glares with his own body. Eventually he understood the need to let Luna face it herself, and nudged her gently with his elbow. He pointed to a Quidditch shop. "I'm just going to take a look in there for a minute – would you mind waiting here for me?"

The expected fear flashed in her eyes, and he almost worried that he had pushed too hard too soon, but smiled at her when she replied. "Yeah, no problem; I'll wait over by the Florist – they have some orchids that I've been meaning to order for a while."

Harry nodded and handed her a handful of Galleons – laughing lightly at the shocked look on her face. "I'm doing the 'boyfriend thing', remember?" He leant down to her ear and whispered secretively in her ear, a smile dancing across his lips. "And anyway – everything I have is yours; I love you too much to have it any other way."

He pulled back from her golden hair and felt his heart leap at the joyous smile covering her face. A single tear ran down her cheek, and she swiped it quickly away. "Thank you Harry."

Harry nodded, and then turned on his heel before moving to the Quidditch shop and peering in the window. What he saw inside made his jaw drop, and he slammed his hands wantonly against the window. There, mere centimetres away from his face, was the Firebolt Mk. II. He looked in awe at the gold that had been etched into the handle of the sleek broom, and the new Slickstreem stabilizers on the tail – but jolted when he felt a flicker of surprise over his bond. He turned quickly around and took careful note of who the casters of the spell were, before walking calmly over to Luna who had her head encased in a sphere of water. He wondered why she hadn't simply dispelled the curse herself – but realized when he saw her loving look in his direction; she trusted him to save her – she trusted his earlier words that he would look over her, and make sure that she wasn't hurt.

When he reached her, he saw her chest move to take in a breath of air – and without hesitation he thrust his head through the sphere of water and pressed his lips to hers; giving her the air she needed. At first she was surprised – but happily wrapped her hands around his back when she realized what he was doing. When the need for air became an issue for the both of them – Harry blasted the sphere of water apart with a thought, and immediately cast a drying charm over both himself and his girlfriend.

She smiled beautifully up at him – not for the first time making his stomach flutter – and asked him if he had found anything interesting at the Quidditch shop. He carefully intertwined his fingers with hers and smiled proudly at her before filling her in on the magnificent new broom. As they walked, Harry unconsciously shielded both of them from the barrage of curses that were being cast at their backs. Luna had tensed when she felt his shields bolster against the increased attacks, but soon calmed when he smiled down at her and whispered four words that only she would understand. "I'm not even whispering."

They were nearing Harry's next destination in the village when a yell came from behind them, and Harry instinctively pulled Luna behind him before turning around to face the voice. The owner of the yell stood twenty meters away from Harry, a vile scowl on his features as he approached. "Filth!" He pointed at Luna who was shaking slightly behind Harry's back. "You dare to come back here?"

Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stepped forward himself – well aware of the people who were approaching from behind as well – and he cast a strong shield behind Luna to protect her. "Well good morning Jerk."

The approaching man faltered in his step before fixing Harry with a furious glare. "What did you just call me?"

Harry looked nonchalantly around himself, calculating the angles and various scenarios for his defences and attacks as he answered. "Well I simply assumed it was a local custom to greet people with insulting names – you did call Luna here Filth, and I know for a fact that's not her name." He turned back to the furious teen – probably two years his senior – and smiled friendly. "Just wanted to follow local traditions is all."

Harry caught a movement out the corner of his eye, and turned his head to see a young man leap from the roof of one of the shops and fly towards him; his wand pointing directly at his head. Harry swiped the spell aside, stepped backwards slightly, grabbed the Wizard's arm, snapped his wand with a small blasting hex, and then slammed him face first into the paved road with a sickening crunch. Harry wiped his hands on his pants and then stepped back to where he had been standing previously – a blank look on his face. "Whoops."

"You bastard!" The leader of the group pointed furiously at Harry – his hand shaking in anger. "That was my brother!"

Harry's eyes sharpened and the man took an unconscious step backwards. Harry kicked the unconscious Wizard at his feet and rolled him over before looking at his bloodied face. With a flick of his wand, the young boy's bones mended, and the blood disappeared off his face. Harry turned back to the furious black-haired youth with a deadly glint in his eye. "Anybody who attacks me, or my girlfriend Luna, will be dealt with by any force I deem necessary."

Luther stood stock still for a moment, before a slight smile tWitched at his features. "You – you actually like that freak?"

Harry's eye tWitched at the word that the Dursleys so frequently used, and he felt his anger swell slightly. "No, I don't like her." He saw a look of triumph in the leader's face, but quickly dispelled it with his next words. "I love her."

It was as if a laughter sWitch had been thrown. The entire group of hateful youths burst into mirthful chuckles – with the leader being the loudest of the entire lot. Harry noticed with a start that there were no adults around, and that all of the shops seemed to have simultaneously closed since the beginning of the attack. Harry turned slightly. "Luna, how are those Orchids doing?"

When her voice came back, strong and confident, Harry grinned. "Fine thank you Harry – I think that they might get a little bit ruffled in the next five minutes though.

Harry forced a mock frown. "That's a shame – I'll tell you what; I'll buy you a new bouquet of them afterwards." She nodded happily, and Harry conjured her a comfortable chair to sit on. "Feel free to blast a couple of them away if you feel like it; I've keyed your magical signature to the shields." She nodded happily and pulled her wand from her sleeve, humming one of Peeves' rude Christmas carols.

Luther and his goons had stopped laughing when they saw the lack of amusement on their 'victims' faces about halfway through Harry's and Luna's exchange – and the leader stepped forward angrily. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Harry expertly twirled his wand between his fingers, cocking his head slightly to one side at the question. "Nope."

"I am Luther Goldstein, and my father is Lord Henry Goldstein-"

"Never heard of him sorry," Harry calmly replied, "And quite frankly even if you were Merlin's great grandson I wouldn't care – anybody, and I mean _anybody_ who attacks Luna receives the exact same treatment."

Harry watched as Luther wrangled with his anger, and then calmed himself after a few minutes. He gave his rather large gang a small nod, and it all began. Harry had decided to severely restrict himself during the fight – the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene by using any powerful, wandless magic, and so he sunk himself into a fighting stance and brought his wand to the ready. It seemed that the ring of thugs had some sort of hierarchy, and the first waves of combatants were clearly a sacrifice to gauge the strength of their opponents. Harry watched the young, charging teens and slipped his wand back into his arm holster – he wouldn't need it for this fight. The first attacker was flipped liberally over Harry's shoulder while the second had all the wind forced out of his chest by a vicious punch to his gut. The ten following teens received much the same treatment; Harry hurt them just enough to eliminate the threat, but nothing more.

The last boy received a completely non-lethal blow; a mere knuckle to his sternum caused the young man to hear a loud echo in his lungs – a sound which stopped him dead in his tracks. One look into Harry's cold eyes and the small Wizard scampered over the nearest fence before sprinting away as fast as he could. Harry turned around to see how Luna was doing, and smiled warmly at her when he saw the small pile of unconscious fighters in front of her. He turned back around, and saw the brutal looks in the remaining attackers' eyes. He assumed that a number of the boys he and Luna had just fought were the siblings of the left over Wizards.

With an almost simultaneous roar, the entire group charged. Harry flicked his wand into his hand and tensed before running towards the oncoming force. He felt a curse fly past his ear and carve a small cut into his cheek before clashing with the first Wizard. With Harry's restriction, the fight was difficult, and he found himself subject to quite a few brutal punches and the odd slicing hex. He ducked and weaved through the small crowd of fighters, delivering scarily accurate punches and curses at their vital points, often causing them to curse before spluttering and collapsing to the ground. One of the attackers raced past him, and Harry was forced to blow him into a nearby wall with his free hand – Luna being unshielded directly behind him. After several minutes of unrelenting combat, the final attacker fell to the ground, unconscious. Harry had used a total of ten spells when combatting the strong force of thirty, and was gasping heavily for air – his muscles aching at their brutal treatment. After a couple of minutes recovering, he stood up straight, repaired his sliced and ruined clothes, and then proceeded to walk towards the shaking leader of the gang that had fought against him – sitting fearfully on the ground.

Harry knelt down to his height and stared him directly in the eye. "I warned you Luther Goldstein; anybody that tries to hurt Luna will face the consequences." He turned his head slightly, and smiled at the blonde-haired woman who was still sitting comfortably on her chair in the middle of the road – the pile of her attackers having grown considerably. "Although it looks like she didn't need very much help from me."

Harry turned back to the horrified blonde, and his eyes turned from cold to angry in a split second. "Four years ago, somebody attacked Luna. Her clothes were banished, she was soaked in ice-cold water, and somebody cast a life-threatening slicing hex at her. She nearly died." He saw Luther's eyes widen in comprehension and his anger deepened. "I know it was you that cast that last hex. The love of my life has to live with that scar for the rest of her life, and you got nothing – not even a slap on the back of your hand. You disgust me." Forcing all the remaining power into his arm, Harry let loose with a savage punch that connected with the ringleader's jaw. The horrible crunch of pulverising bone followed, and the young Goldstein moaned in agony – but even Harry knew that such an injury would heal with not even a scar.

After the young man scampered away, clutching at his broken jaw and screaming, Harry returned to Luna's chair – and the young woman immediately crouched by his side, worry in her eyes when she saw all the bruises and cuts on his body. Harry winked up at her through the pain. "Couldn't go all out, could I?" She tutted in frustration and straightaway began healing his wounds and occasional fractured bone. When she was finished, Harry pulled her down onto the paved footpath and leant his back against the window of one of the shops – kissing her tenderly on the cheek.

She looked up at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place – but begun to get an idea when she tipped her head upwards and pressed her lips against his in an expressive kiss. When she pulled away she smiled lovingly up at him, and he wiped an unshed tear from her eye. "Thank you Harry – I – I think I can start healing now."

He nodded, and gently stroked her hair. "We can heal together."

What the pair hadn't noticed until that point was the immense audience that had been watching the entire exchange, and they smiled nervously at one another when they felt the auras surrounding them. Harry stood up, helping Luna to her feet while he did so, and clasped her hand in hers before continuing to walk down the empty street. The young Ravenclaw frowned at Harry, when they stopped outside an old shop, but quickly gasped when she saw the sign above its entrance. It was covered in rust, but it clearly stated "Bumpkin's Bakery." Harry smiled at her surprised look, and watched as middle-aged man walked through the derelict shop before unlocking the door and ushering the couple inside.

After the man had locked the door after himself, he turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Mr Potter?" Harry nodded and dropped the glamour charm he had been covering himself with for most of the morning, and the man smiled warmly before shaking his hand. "It's an honour Mr Potter!"

Harry shook his head and smiled in return. "Trust me Mr Burke, the pleasure is all mine."

Looking confused, the man gave Harry a perplexed smile before turning to the very shocked Luna with a small frown on his face. "I know you from somewhere…" He tapped his head, frustrated for a few moments before his eyes cleared, and he looked her over once again, an appalled expression on his face. "Miss Lovegood, is that really you?" Still wide-eyed, Luna slowly nodded, and the man – without any warning whatsoever – engulfed the young woman in an embrace. "It's very good to see you again Miss Lovegood!" He pulled back and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Are you well?"

Luna nodded, and looked at Harry uncertainly before answering. "I- I'm fine thank you."

The man looked flustered for a moment before slapping his head in frustration. "How rude of me; come in, both of you – we'll have a cup of tea." He led the two teens out the back of the shop and into a comfortable but slightly run-down lounge.

The two sat on the couch and Luna waited until the man had disappeared into the kitchen before turning to the Wizard beside her. "How did you organize this Harry? How did you know it was him?"

"I had Fawkes fly through the village and find the bakery with the male baker – and I got him to deliver a message."

"But why does he know your name?"

Harry smiled. "You'll find out soon enough." The baker bustled back into the room holding a teapot with a delicious aroma wafting from it, and sat opposite the couple before pouring their drinks and sparking up a conversation. He mostly talked to Luna, asking her how she had been, how long it took for her to recover, and how her life had been since he last saw her. With a slight glance at Harry, and receiving a small nod in return, she answered his questions honestly; showing the man her scar; telling him about her recovery; and her recent life with Harry – a fact which made the man smile warmly at the famous young Wizard.

After an hour of talking, and numerous cups of tea, the man sat back in his chair and turned his attention to Harry. "So Mr Potter, what brings you here?"

"In all honesty Mr Burke, it is because of my girlfriend, and I wished to show the man who saved her life the courtesy of knowing who I really was." The man nodded appreciatively at Harry, and he continued with a frown. "But while I was walking through the village and after we were attacked by Mr Goldstein's son-"

"You were attacked?"

Harry nodded, and noted the concern in the Wizard's eyes. "I assure you sir that we are perfectly fine, and that the gang will not be bothering with us any time soon." The baker looked at Harry, amazed, as he continued. "But I realized that the town seems to be slightly under the thumb of Luther's father. Could you tell me why?"

The man looked around nervously, as if he were afraid of being heard, and Harry quickly performed a series of ridiculously powered privacy wards around the room. The man felt the comforting tingle of the shields and nodded his thanks at Harry before explaining. "Lord Goldstein came to this village twenty years ago, and had a plan to take over. He slowly used his private guards to stop visitors from entering the town, and our economy faltered. A lot of shops were on the verge of having to close down, but then he jumped in like the big hero; offering us loans to keep us on our feet." He sighed sadly. "Most of the people's families in this village have been here for generations – and we were desperate to stay that way. We took the atrocious loans with even more abominable interest rates without a second thought, and it was fourteen years later that the Lord gifted us with the presence of his son in the town. He had been brought up in the Goldstein household with the bigotry that such a family always holds; but none of us had the courage to stand up to his delinquent behaviour for fear of out shops being forced to shut."

He looked out into the decrepit bakery show room with a look of immense sadness. "I was unpacking grain from out supplier's truck when I saw a trail of blood leading away from the village. At first I thought that it might've been a wounded animal, but there was far too much blood, and after about half an hour of walking I came across Miss Lovegood. I immediately apparated her to St Mungo's Hospital and she was taken out of my arms straight away.

"Once I had met her father and pointed him in the direction of his daughter I returned to the village, and I found Lord Goldstein waiting for me. He knew that I had saved Luna, and because I went against his son's wishes he took all my earnings and left me with nothing." Luna gasped, realizing it was because of her that the poor baker had lost his dreams, but he held up his hand to stop her apology, a friendly twinkle in his eyes. "I wouldn't take back what I did then for anything in the world Miss Lovegood – it was repayment enough that I knew I had saved your life."

If Harry already hadn't decided on the action he was going to take, those words would have swayed him in a moment. He sat forward in his chair, a rebellious glint in his eye. "Mr Burke, Luna tells me that you used to make the most delicious caramel tarts."

John's eyes lit up at the high praise, but they soon dulled. "Yes. I'm sorry I can't offer you one; I'm afraid they took all of my equipment."

Harry nodded and smiled warmly at the man. "Mr Burke, I love this place. I want to be able to live here when I've defeated Voldemort; I want to return here after every day at work to Luna and the beautiful meadows; I want to stare at the clear stars; I want the Lovegood's house to be where our children grow up," he blushed slightly, and caught Luna reddening a bit as well. He fixed the man across from him with a confident stare. "I want Luna to be able to make friends with the Florist and walk through this village with no risk. I want to start with you Mr Burke."

"Start what Mr Potter?"

"A sanctuary Mr Burke. I want this village to be free of the clutches of Voldemort and Dumbledore-"

"Dumbledore? But he's-"

"A traitor Mr Burke – he plans to kill me once I have defeated Voldemort, and then take control of the Wizarding world bit by bit."

The middle-aged man looked as if he had been hit in the stomach with a hammer, and when he next spoke it was in a whisper. "I wondered… I wondered what it meant when Fawkes delivered your message…" Harry nodded, and after only a moment to recover from the monumental shock, he sat back in his chair – a determined look in his eyes. "I'll do whatever you need Mr Potter; I want to help fight the darkness."

Harry smiled proudly at the man and nodded before reaching into his pocket and producing a piece of parchment and a quill, placing both on the table. "I want you, Mr Burke, to begin making your wonderful caramel tarts again."


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next three days, the village of Ottery St Catchpole was in a flurry of excited activity. Harry had lost the company of his soul mate on the Wednesday to the Florist, who had struck up a surprisingly strong friendship with the young Witch. Harry had acted a little put off by Luna's desertion, but soon assured her that he was thrilled she had made a new friend. After Harry had visited the Jonathan Burke at his bakery, he and Luna had covertly paid visits to all the other shops in the small village, and had extended them the same offer after telling them who he really was, and the true nature of Dumbledore – only after placing them under a Fidelius Charm with Luna as the secret keeper of course.

Luna had been equally as shocked as the baker when she discovered what Harry had in mind. He had secretly been in contact with Gringotts over the past three weeks; fortifying his vaults, moneys and rights against Dumbledore's snooping eye; investing in numerous businesses under the advisement of the head goblin, which had virtually doubled Harry's already substantial fortune overnight; and organized the contracts for the village. With absolutely no strings attached, Harry had singlehandedly paid off the debts of the village people, and had given them enough capital to restore their businesses to what they used to be.

Harry was prepared for retaliation from Lord Goldstein, and so was completely set up for the confrontation on the last day of the holidays. He had taught Luna how to temporarily disguise herself as he had with 'Artemis', and he laughed when he realized her disguise looked very much like Professor McGonagall – save for the unbelievably flamboyant clothing choice – and so it was Artemis Coleman and Jennifer McLeod that faced the rather intimidating private force of security Wizards. Clearly, the man who was covered in woven gold clothing was the instigator of what Harry considered to be a disgusting crime against the village people, and he stepped forward from his masked companions. "Who dares stand against me, Lord Henry Malik Detrius Goldstein?"

Artemis valiantly attempted to contain his laughter, but it was all too much and he clutched at his sides – giggling mirthfully. Jennifer was equally as amused, and found herself clinging to the blonde-haired Wizard's arm to stop from falling over. Their laughter lasted for quite some time, and had they bothered to look up then they would have seen the pompous man's face darkening. Harry's laughter promptly stopped when a dark curse was deflected by his shields, and Jennifer's laughter caught in her throat. They both straightened themselves, and Artemis pulled his coat back onto his shoulders. "I can see that you have virtually no sense of humour Mr Goldstein."

"IT'S LORD GOLDSTEIN TO YOU!"

"Are you sure you don't want us to call you Lord Henry Malik _Detrius_ Goldstein?" The corners of Jennifer's mouth quirked slightly, and it was blatantly clear to all parties present that she was straining to hold in her laughter. Harry continued, well aware of the anger he was causing. "We, Lord Goldstein, are the two that stand against you."

"Nobody stands against me!"

Harry cocked his head to the side, "Yeah, except us… and two teens that passed through here recently that dealt your son quite a sound defeat."

It looked as if the Head of the Goldstein family had about had enough, and he thrust his hand forwards. "Attack them!" Both Artemis and Jennifer sprang into action at that moment – holding their powers back enough so that they only came off as top aurors. Their fighting was brutal; a devastating combination of deadly accurate curses, startlingly strong defensive charms and martial arts cutting through the enemy like a hot knife through butter. While Artemis cursed an assailant that was aiming at Jennifer, Jennifer defended Artemis against a curse at his exposed back. It was exactly as they had practiced with Dilys and Armando – though they both knew that the enemy they were facing didn't hold a candle to the cunning of their true enemies. Eventually, Artemis and Jennifer emerged from the other side of the battlefield, completely unscathed and unharmed – barely even having broken a sweat.

It was a familiar sight to Artemis as he approached the bumbling and defeated Lord in front of them; but he allowed Jennifer to deliver the final blow – she needed it to heal herself. Artemis stood two paces behind the grey-haired woman, and watched as she leant down to the terrified man. After barely ten seconds of whispering, the man screamed and looked wildly around himself before leaping to his feet and running away as if he was being chased by the devil himself. Artemis frowned, and touched Jennifer's shoulder inquiringly. Almost instantly the world around them dissolved into flames, and the buildings turned to ruins – evil, horrifying demons flying in the air above them. On instinct alone, Harry shielded Luna and screamed the safe word in his mind before letting loose with a blast of pure white light. The world around them was smashed away, and when the light faded Harry found himself standing once again in the middle of the calm, country road – with scared faces looking at him through the windows of the shops.

Harry spun Luna around, having dispelled their disguises with the burst of power, and looked frantically into her eyes. "Luna, what was that, I know it was an illusion – but how did you-"

"It was a memory."

Luna's quiet voice broke through his panic, and instead morphed it into horror. "How Luna? How is that a memory?"

She slowly walked over to a seat by the side of the road and sat down before taking Harry's hands in hers – almost as if taking strength from his presence. "After I visited you in the hospital wing, Dumbledore took me to his office and invaded my mind. Even though he didn't get inside my sanctuary, I still had to live through the memory he placed there." She looked deep into his furious green orbs. "He did it so that whenever I tried to be nice to you, I would have that nightmare." Harry's eyes widened in worry, but she shook her head, a comforting smile on her face. "I've only had to see it twice before – and the second time was with you beside me; I felt safe alongside you."

Harry pulled her into a hug and buried his head into her hair. "Share it with me Luna."

Her head whipped up to face him, a horrified look on her face, and she shook her head violently. "No, I won't!"

"Luna, I know it gets far worse than what I saw – but if you share it with me, and you let me understand what you've felt, then we can work through it together. I know you don't want to hurt me, but not trusting me will hurt much more."

She looked torn, and Harry hated forcing her to do something she didn't want to do. He saw the indecision in her eyes, but he nodded reassuringly to her. Wordlessly she slid inside his mind, and mentally hugged him before implanting the memory and pulling out. Harry took a deep breath, looked into her eyes one last time, and then forced himself into the memory she had grafted. Luna watched as Harry's face turned from frightened to horrified, and hugged him tightly to her as the blood drained from his face. After five minutes of terrified shaking, the memory ended, and Harry collapsed off the chair before vomiting into the gutter; tears streaming down his face and frightful shivers still shaking his body. Luna rushed to his side and banished his sick with a wave of her hand before cradling his head in her arms – her own tears streaming down her cheeks at having put him through such a memory.

Slowly the townsfolk exited their stores, and the florist kindly led the pair into her shop before sitting them in the back room and leaving them alone to get some tea. Slowly Harry's shivering stopped, and some of the life returned to his eyes when he smelt the pleasant fragrance of the sweet tea. The elderly woman quickly left the pair alone to talk, but it was at least ten minutes before the young Wizard could finally form the words in his mouth. "I'm so sorry."

She worriedly looked at him – aware of his tendency to take the blame when it wasn't his fault. "You shouldn't be Harry; you had nothing to do with that; I decided to visit you – not the other way around."

"Bu-"

She pressed a finger softly over his mouth, replacing it a moment later with her soft lips. She opened her eyes a second later and smiled warmly up at him. "There is nothing you could've done, and you've already helped me heal that scar by loving me."

He sat still for a moment, before nodding slowly and pulling her into his lap. For the next hour the lovers sat, silent; Harry gently running his fingers through Luna's silken hair, and the young Witch tracing ancient runes on Harry's chest with her delicate fingers. Just before Harry moved to stand up from the chair, he frowned. "Luna, what _did_ you tell that man?"

She stood from his lap and pulled him to his feet before answering, a cheeky grin on her face. "I told him that I'd set a Crumple-Horned Snorkack on him if he came back."

* * *

All good things had to come to an end however, and so Harry returned to Privet Drive the morning of his departure back to Hogwarts, thanked his other self for keeping the Order busy, and then dispelled all of the wards he had erected at the beginning of the summer break. Within three hours of arriving at Privet Drive, he was leaving, and he could not have been happier. On the train he was reunited with his friends, and subtly dropped a hint about Hermione learning Occlumency – with a very pointed stare, and a statement that it would be 'awesome' if she managed to be a 'master' of it by the start of the next year.

She seemed to get the general hint, and gave him a subtle nod to show that she understood, and Harry had settled back for the rest of the train ride, grunting noncommittally as Ron talked about the Chudley Cannons, and chomping down – much to the red-head's glee- several laced mince pies, the love potion being purged from Harry's body as soon as it entered his mouth.

For the rest of the year, Harry continued his secret life with Luna, and his public life in the Golden Trio. Dumbledore carefully followed his progress – or rather lack of- with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye; not once noticing Harry's or Luna's immensely powerful auras restrained beneath equally powerful secrecy charms. Harry and Luna both whizzed through their defensive and offensive courses by sharing their memories with one another, and quickly proceeded to the most advanced section of their course – the Dark and Light spells.

With a determination that neither Dilys or Armando had ever seen, the two teens studied themselves to sleep every night, trained all day when they could, and even practiced in their bedroom behind several highly powered silencing and protective charms. The two lovers trained and trained, their bodies adjusting to their increased magical flow and physical requirements – and Harry had been the talk of a large portion of the female Hogwarts population due to his clearly noticeable changes. Both Harry and Luna had been subject to very intrusive interrogations regarding a number of pranks and incidents that seemed to befall the young Wizard's fans, but Dumbledore could find absolutely no sign at all that either of them had played a part in it.

It was one night in December - the second last week of Harry's sixth and Luna's fifth year at Hogwarts in fact – in which the oddest thing happened. Harry and Luna had just drifted off to sleep when the young Wizard had the most interesting and shocking dream. He looked about himself in wonder, the white space surrounding him, and the white mist flowing over his shoes seeming slightly too familiar to what he regarded death would be like. Suddenly a very familiar voice came from behind him, and he spun around to find an equally amazed Luna staring at the space around them. "Harry, where are we?"

She walked over to his side in her white nightgown and took his hand as he shook his head in wonder. "I haven't a clu-"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The pair spun around and Harry's jaw dropped when he saw his rather angry looking godfather standing there in a smart, black suit. "Sirius?"

"Yes Harry, but neither of you should be here!" He strode over to the couple and placed his hands on their shoulders before shaking them violently. "Why the hell are you dead?"

Harry pushed his godfather's hand from both his ad Luna's shoulders and stared at him. "We're not dead!"

"He's right Sirius." Harry spun around again, and froze in shock. Lilly and James Potter stood in front of Harry with matching grins on their faces.

They walked towards the young Wizard, and unconsciously tears begun to stream from his green eyes. Luna respectfully stood back as the family embraced, but Lilly pulled her into the hug as well, a dazzling smile on her face. "You're part of the Potters now Luna."

After quite some minutes of hugging and crying from all parties present – even Sirius who had joined the hug after getting over his shock – James and Lilly pulled back slightly and looked around the space that surrounded them. Lilly looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on the corner of her lips. "You're just like your father; no imagination. Well, when you two finally join us here, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that it _isn't_ actually like this."

Harry swiped a few lingering tears from his cheeks, but couldn't keep the joyous smile from seeing his parents again from his face. "How is this possible?"

James explained to the three confused Witches and Wizards, and Sirius' eyes widened as he realized just why it was happening. "The exact same thing happened when I was about to ask Lilly to marry me." Luna's eyes widened and James laughed, while Harry just blushed. "Yes Luna, my son has been searching for the right ring for quite some time." She swung her head up to look at Harry and he embarrassedly nodded. James waited until he had their attention again before continuing. "My parents who had passed away ten years beforehand called us here to pass something on to us, exactly what we are about to do for the two of you."

Lilly slowly pulled two platinum rings from her pocket, and Harry nearly cried when he saw that they were his parent's engagement rings. Harry's mother gently gave the shocked Witch one of them, and then placed the remaining ring in Harry's palm. He glanced at Lilly with a question in his eyes and she nodded; a delighted twinkle in her eye. He quietly knelt down on one knee, and Luna gasped when she realized what was happening. Her eyes flicked from Harry to his parents, before finally coming to rest on the man she loved. "Luna Marie Lovegood, I've loved you ever since I met you. It was hidden from me, but it wasn't strong enough to obscure it forever. When I truly opened my eyes, I found that you were perfect in every way. Everything that was, is, and will be you, I love. I can't see my life without you in it, and although we are already bonded for eternity I want to be _with _you – your husband - for all of time. Will you marry me?"

Tears were falling from the blonde girl's eyes ever since he had begun speaking, but the smile on her face told him the answer he wanted to hear. She tackled him to the soft ground and pressed her lips passionately to his. He wrapped his strong arms around her back and pulled her body closer – his body as well as his soul seeming to merge even deeper with his bonded's. The adults let the two teens have their happiness, but Sirius loudly cleared his throat when he caught a look from Lilly. The two slowly broke apart, an all-consuming love in their eyes, before the adults watched the sight that they had been waiting for. The slim, silver band slid onto Luna's finger – fitting as if it was made for her – and the same happened to Harry – all the while staring into his lovers eyes. Once they had finished, Sirius pulled them both to their feet with an excited laugh, and pulled the entire group into a tight hug.

Slowly Harry begun to notice the world around them start to turn colder, and with a look of regret, both his parents and Sirius broke away. "Well Son, it looks like our time is up – but I think you'll do fine without us until we meet again; the love you have for Luna, and hers for you will keep you both very happy."

Harry nodded, and pulled Luna to him – placing a loving kiss on her forehead before turning to face his rapidly fading family. "I'll see you in a few hundred years."

Sirius laughed and waved. "It'd better not be any sooner Pup!"

Harry cracked open his eyes at the exact same time Luna did, and smiled as he hugged her to him. "Good morning love."

She smiled into his chest and hugged him back. "I had the nicest dream last night." He raised his eyebrows at that, and stroked her cheek. She nuzzled it and purred before continuing. "Mmm, I got to meet your parents and-"

"They watched me propose to you?" Luna froze, and her eyes widened when she saw the silver ring on her hand which was resting on Harry's palm. He slowly brought his left hand and placed it over hers, and there was no denying it anymore. The platinum ring glinted on his finger, and he smiled softly. "I had a feeling…"

For the entire day, the two lovers stayed in bed – Harry telling Ron that he felt a little bit under the weather – and simply enjoyed the company of one another. As Harry held his fiancé, he smiled softly at the way he had proposed. It was exactly as he had wanted it; with his parents and godfather there to witness the moment and he was glad that they had accepted Luna without even a second thought. At the end of the day, the couple decided to remove their rings until their return the next year, and instead conjured each other delicate silver chains to keep them around their necks. The last two weeks of term were crusy – even with Armando and Dilys. The two mentors had congratulated their two students on their engagement, and had been working on their coordination in combat for their training sessions instead – an activity that both Harry and Luna enjoyed.

It was on the train ride back to King's Cross station that Hermione spoke to Harry, making sure to keep her words hidden from the red-head who was also in the compartment, casting nasty glares towards Luna who was talking to Neville. "Harry, I looked up that _book_ you talked to me about, and I think I've _finished_ it. I don't think even Dumbledore would find anything useful in it."

Harry nodded noncommittally. "Ah well, I thought it might contain something thought-provoking; I guess I'll have to modify it soon and make it more interesting."

"You won't be able to Harry; it has shields around it."

He hummed thoughtfully for a moment before smiling at her. "I'm sure you'll remove them for me."

She humphed convincingly, and then muttered that she'd probably end up getting forced into it anyways – and so she might as well do it. Harry nodded and sat back in his chair, getting comfortable before staring into Hermione's chocolate brown eyes and entering her mind. Luna made sure that nobody else in the compartment knew what was going on with a compulsion charm, and over the next half an hour watched as Hermione's face paled. Harry finally stopped the stream of memories and pulled out of her mind, watching as she sat stock-still in her chair. "Oh my god…" After a few moments she turned to Harry. "I'm so sorry Harry, I didn't know!"

He smiled knowingly and nodded. "I know – but I'm glad you're free from his meddling now."

After another long moment, Hermione gasped and her eyes flicked between Harry and Luna. "You two…" They both smiled, and stealthily flattened their shirts against their bodies, making the outlines of the rings stand out under their clothes.

Hermione gasped again and Harry laughed, releasing the secrecy charm Luna had placed over Ron and Neville. "Yeah, I'm really happy - we both are."

Ron turned to him, an eager look in his eye. "You and who mate?"

"Me and Ginny, Ron, I really think we're getting closer." He forced a mock-scared look onto his face and glanced at his red-haired companion fearfully. "You're not going to throttle me, are you?"

Ron grinned and clapped Harry happily on the back. The raven-haired boy made a mental note to obliterate the jacket as soon as he got home. "Nah mate, you're the only bloke who's good enough for my sister – I say go for it Harry!"

The famous Wizard nodded enthusiastically, and waited until his 'mate' had turned back to his book on Quidditch before letting the expression drop off his face and a disgusted look spread across his features. Luna stifled a giggle, and Hermione looked shocked at Luna's lack of hurt at Harry's act. The green-eyed Wizard winked at her. "We know each other inside out – we wouldn't let such a playact come between us."


	9. Chapter 9

On the first of January – ten days after arriving back at King's Cross Station – Harry enjoyed blowing the Dursleys away once again. At exactly five o'clock in the evening, just as Petunia was starting dinner, there was a knock at the door. Petunia frowned at the intrusion and looked at the calendar –she wasn't expecting anybody…

She took off her kitchen mittens and walked quickly to the door, opening it to find…a beautiful girl with flowing blonde hair standing on her doorstep; a number of bags beside her on the stairs. Petunia almost cried for joy, "You must be here for Dud-"

The young woman pushed inside and dragged her bags with her before stopping at the bottom of the stairs and calling up them. "Harry!" Petunia's eyes bugged out of her head at that, and Vernon rushed out of the kitchen – freezing in his tracks when he saw the stunning blonde at the stairs. His eyes widened when Harry's head peaked over the top of the staircase, and grinned widely at her. Wearing smart jeans and a t-shit that neither Vernon nor Petunia had given him permission to wear; he jogged down the steps and pulled the woman into his arms, squeezing tightly. "You look beautiful."

She kissed him on the lips, causing Dudley who had poked his fat head out of the lounge to gurgle in shock. She winked suggestively at the raven-haired Wizard. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, BOY?" Harry was happy he wouldn't have to answer the same question from Dumbledore until the start of the next term, due to the not-notice-me charm he had cast permanently on his doorstep where Luna had apparated.

Harry smiled sweetly at the assembled Dursleys, and Luna happily snuggled closer to his side. "This, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley, is my fiancé Luna." With a tingle, Fawkes raised Harry's and Luna's protective wards around the house, and Harry calmed considerably.

"A freak like you has a girlfriend?"

"No Dudley, you useless whale, I have a fiancé; it means I'm engaged to be married."

"You dare bring another FREAK into my house?" Roared his Uncle, and Harry's eyes darkened when his hand rose to hit his lover.

Harry forced his memory into the air around them, and held onto Luna as the house disappeared into flame and was replaced by mere ruins. Once again they were surrounded by terror, and all three of Harry's relatives screamed at the horrific demons circling above them – they knew exactly where they were. With a flash, Harry broke the illusion and faced his shaking relatives with a steely look in his eyes. "Don't _ever_ call Luna a freak ever again - and if any of you so much as raise a finger against her I _will not hesitate_ to send you back into Hell." Seeing that his relatives most definitely got the message, his eyes softened instantly and he smiled joyously as he embraced Luna again, feeling his heart lift at her elated giggle when he swung her around. "I've missed you."

* * *

Over the next three weeks, the members of the Order of the Phoenix – or more specifically Auror Tonks and Remus Lupin who had been given the duty of watching over Harry – noticed some odd occurrences. Harry had begun taking regular runs in the mornings, and seemed to have taken to sitting at the local park watching sunsets, sprawled out on the grass with a peaceful smile on his lips. It was after they noticed these unusual happenings that they began to observe the Dursleys more carefully – and were shocked at their behaviour.

Dudley _actively_ avoided Harry now, and always hurried quickly away whenever he accidently stumbled across the young Wizard. This was strange enough, but the fearful looks that Petunia and Vernon cast at the boy's window whenever they left the house had the two Order members worried, and so they decided to pay the young man a visit.

Harry was just about to begin cooking the eggs for his and Luna's lunch when Fawkes flamed into existence beside the stove. "Harry, Tonks and Remus are about to enter the wards – should I let them in?"

Harry nodded, having thought about the possibility beforehand and discussing it with Luna. "Make sure to erect the anti-apparation and portkey wards though; I don't want Dumbledore discovering our relationship until I allow it." With a nod, Fawkes disappeared from sight, and Harry felt the tingle of the extra wards fall over the house. A moment later the expected knocks came at the door, and Harry yelled from the kitchen "Come in!"

A moment later Tonks' worried voice reached his ears from the hallway. "Harry?"

"I'm in the kitchen!" The older Witch and Wizard looked warily at each other when they heard the cherry tone in Harry's voice, and flicked their wands into their hands before following the smell of cooking. When they entered the kitchen and saw Harry standing by the stove unharmed, they relaxed slightly – and Harry raised his eyebrows inquiringly at their drawn wands. "Expecting somebody else?"

The second plate on the table didn't miss Remus' or Tonks' sharp eyes, and they both sat down at the table before questioning Harry further. "Are you okay Harry?"

The Wizard in question expertly flipped the eggs and then turned, resting his back against the bench and looking at them quizzically. "I'm perfectly fine – wonderful actually. Why?"

Remus hurriedly smiled. "Oh, just wondering Harry – you know we worry about how those muggles treat you."

Harry grinned and walked towards the oven when it dinged. "Yes…they've been rather accommodating lately."

"Oh, why is that?"

He shrugged his shoulders mysteriously and then began slicing the steaming Ham he had been cooking, dishing it up onto the two plates. Remus frowned again, but tried to keep his tone light. "Expecting a visitor Harry?"

The young Wizard chuckled and slid an egg onto each of the plates, turning his head slightly to look at Remus before shaking it a bit. "I'm waiting for my roommate – we were just about to have breakfast when you knocked."

Remus and Tonks tensed at the mention of another person in the house – immediately worried that they had missed something crucially important. "Who's your roommate Harry?"

He turned to face Remus, but then caught a movement from the stairs and moved to hug the blonde woman, smiling when he saw her fully-clothed and ready to go. "Perfect timing Love, I just dished lunch."

She took in a deep breath through her nose and grinned up at him. "I thought something smelt good." Harry moved to the side and let her grab her plate before taking his own to the table. Luna glanced up at Tonks' and Remus' identical horror-stricken expressions with a smile. "Good morning Remus, Tonks. You don't look too well, would you like a glass of water? It looks as if you might have an infestation of Wrackspurts."

Harry slapped his hand lightly on the table. "I knew I'd forgotten to do something – I meant to clear them out of the house last night but you had me distracted."

Luna guwaffed at him. "So now it's my fault?"

Harry snickered and forked a piece of ham into his mouth before answering. "You know how irresistible I find you in that stunning white nightie."

Remus pushed his chair hurriedly out, and was followed shortly after by Tonks, a worried look on his face. "I just remembered, we have an appointment that we have to be at-"

"The Order's headquarters to inform Albus Dumbledore and the other members of this new development I presume?" Harry calmly looked up at the two shocked adults and began chewing on another mouthful of egg with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean Harry; we're not spying on you!"

Harry scoffed. "Really Moony, you were never the best liar – now how's about both of you sit down and listen to what I have to say."

Reluctantly the pair returned to their chairs, and Harry summoned two extra plates with some hot ham on them – surprising the two adults. "Harry, you'll be expelled!"

"Uh-uh." He finished his mouthful and nodded around them. "Got wards to stop that from happening – blocked the trace."

Tonks was the first to notice the subtle clue that hinted at a deeper conspiracy than just the presence of Luna. "Harry, where's your wand?"

He frowned and turned to Luna, who pointed upstairs. Harry opened his mouth in an O and turned back to the Auror. "On the bedside table."

"Harry, how did you make the pla-"

With a whoosh of sound, and the crackling of fire, Fawkes appeared in the middle of the table and glanced hopefully up at Harry, who rolled his eyes in exasperation before pointing at the large hunk of Ham on the bench. "There's yours."

The Phoenix's eyes lit up happily, and he jumped over to the bench to begin devouring the tasty morsel. Remus cast a sideways glance at Tonks, who nodded covertly, before yelling at the red and gold bird. "Fawkes, go and tell Dumbledore about Harry and Luna right now – it's imperative that he know!" Neither Harry, Luna nor Fawkes stopped their chewing, but the Phoenix did take a moment to send the werewolf a disparaging look before returning to his rather large chunk of meat.

Remus opened his mouth in vexation and Harry finished his plate before explaining the bird's lack of action regarding Remus' orders. "He's my Familiar Remus, and he hates Dumbledore's guts." Fawkes looked up at the two adults and nodded seriously, although the piece of meat hanging out of his beak did inject some humour into the expression – at least for the younger Witch and Wizard. "So, if you are quite done attempting to contact Dumbledore then-" He watched as Remus hurriedly tapped a badge on his lapel. "Anti-apparation and portkey wards I'm afraid."

Tonks immediately began looking worried and started scanning the room for escape routes. Luna noticed her frantic searching and shook her head serenely. "I'd really suggest just listening for a few minutes Auror Tonks; we do have something quite important to tell the two of you."

Seeing that they really had no choice in the matter, the two adults calmed down and listened to what the two had to say. The Auror, and Harry's ex-DADA teacher were the latest people the couple had exposed Dumbledore's true identity to – and although Harry had had to show them his memories to fully convince them – the two Order members had much the same reaction to all the others they had told. "Oh my god…"

Harry nodded, as he had done all the other times, and leant forward. "Glad you _didn't_ tell Dumbledore about me now?"

Remus looked horrified at what he had nearly done. "Harry, oh my goodness; you've had enough betrayal in your like and I nearly-"

"But you didn't Moony, so there's nothing for me to forgive." Harry frowned as Fawkes belched loudly behind them, and clapped him softly over the back of his bony head.

Turning back to the enemies-turned-allies, Harry grinned and placed his hand on the table; the sun streaming through the window causing the brilliant ring to glint brightly. Only Remus and Luna understood its significance, and the werewolf gasped. "Harry – that's you fathers…" His eyes flicked hurriedly to Luna's left finger the next moment, and he damn near fainted when he saw Lilly's ring glisten radiantly against her pale finger. "Harry you're-"

Harry smiled warmly at the older man and laughed. "Yes Remus, I am."

Tonks had only just put it all together, and so missed when Remus stood from his seat and embraced his dead friend's Son firmly before pulling a happy Luna into a group hug as well. The teary man pulled back from the young couple and smiled at them. "Lilly and James would be so proud of both of you."

The two lovers shared a secret smile and laughed when Tonks belatedly stated the obvious. "Your engaged!"

Harry shook his head with a chuckle, and reached over to pat her softly on the top of her head. "Thanks for noticing Tonks."

* * *

Needless to say, the report that Harry and Luna were together, and were both immensely more powerful than they should have been, never reached Dumbledore's desk, and so the Chess Master continued to relax in his family home, comfortably plotting his next move towards his ultimate goal. Harry and Luna had invited Tonks and Remus to dinner that night, and they both grinned when the older magicians told them of their blossoming relationship – before laughing at the Dursleys' disgusted looks that such 'folk' could be loved by anybody at all.

The last of the holidays passed comfortably, with Remus and Tonks finally seeing why Harry looked so peaceful lying on the ground at sunset – Luna curled comfortably against his chest - and just who accompanied him on his morning runs. It was one morning that Remus and Tonks had scheduled a visit that they got the fright of their lives however. They opened the door to the house, and were promptly knocked into the flower garden by the doorstep by a startlingly green-eyed Phoenix that shot out of the house, chased closely by an equally speeding grey-eyed eagle – her eyes glinting mischievously as it took chase after the fiery bird. The two adults watched in absolute astonishment as the two birds ducked, dived and manoeuvred almost so fast that they turned into a mere blur. After about five minutes, the two birds sped back towards the house and flared their wings when they reached the front lawn before morphing fluidly into their two human forms and collapsing on top of one another – laughing uproariously.

Remus had seen fit to sit them down for a right telling off after that little demonstration, and the two young teens had sheepishly been forced to admit that they hadn't cast a not-notice-me charm before they left.

The last three days of their holidays had been slightly less eventful, but the newly-engaged couple enjoyed the peace and quiet among their two new allies – smiling when they caught Tonks, Remus, Dilys and Armando deep in conversation on the Sunday. It was with barely concealed excitement that the couple jumped in the Dursley's car to return to Hogwarts. Both Dilys and Armando had agreed that the two teenagers had been trained more than enough to safely reveal their true colours at Hogwarts, but should continue their tutoring anyway – much to the happiness of the young magicians. The two removed their bags from the trunk of the modest Toyota Camry, and amusedly watched as it sped off the mark – happy to be rid of its 'Freakish' passengers. Harry smiled down at Luna and winked, before taking off ahead of her – just as they had planned. Harry strolled through King's Cross Station, whistling happily as he wheeled his luggage behind him.

He stopped to say hello to Neville, who had just arrived with his grandmother, and then proceeded to walk confidently through the wall leading to Platform 9¾. As soon as he emerged from the other side, he was assaulted by a flurry of red, and instinctively flung his hand out; sending the person flying away from him. As soon as he had cast the charm, he had realized with a sigh that the culprit had been the youngest of the Weasley's. The group of red-heads that had been standing by the steaming train all had their mouths hanging open in shock, and Harry shrugged sheepishly before boarding the nearest carriage. He quickly found the one containing Hermione and sat down on the soft seat with a depressed sigh. The brown-haired Witch raised one of her eyebrows. "Was it just me, or did I see Ginny get flung down the platform?"

Harry shook his head and stared out the window as the young Weasley re-join her family – a furious look on her face. "No, it wasn't just you. I didn't mean to – I just acted on instinct."

Hermione grinned. "Why do I get the feeling that if it was Luna, you would've happily embraced her?" Harry pretended not to hear that particular statement, and whistled innocently – causing his bookish companion to laugh humorously. After a moment she remembered something, and her eyes snapped to look at his left hand – gasping when she saw the ring. "Wow, it's beautiful!"

He followed her eyes and nodded in agreement, before smiling up at her. "You should see Luna's – it's stunning."

It was at that moment that a rather agitated red-haired boy entered the compartment and glared at Harry. "Why'd you do that to Ginny?"

Harry looked up at him, a little angry at his tone. "I've been training to face Voldemort Ron, what do you think I do when I get assaulted?"

"But she wasn't assaulting you mate, she just wanted to hug you!"

Harry nodded, "That may be, but she should probably learn to wait until I can see her before jumping on me." _So that I can blast her twice as far._ Hermione could guess what he was thinking and snickered covertly behind her hand – hiding it behind a cough. Ron seemed to accept Harry's explanation – not that the raven-haired youth really cared – and sat down beside Hermione; who tensed at his close proximity, now that she knew of his betrayal. Before long, he was intensely reading the exact same Chudley Cannons book he had been pouring over at the end of the previous year, and much to Hermione's, Harry's, and the just-entering Neville's amusement, it seemed that he had only managed to read through one more chapter during his time in the holidays.

With a slight jolt, the train began to move down the tracks, and Harry smiled when he felt Luna's presence at the opposite end of the train to him. He settled down in his seat and pulled his hood over his eyes – pleased that Ron was stupid enough to have missed the fact that he had blown his sister away _without_ a wand – and lightly dozed, making up for the slight lack of sleep due to intense snuggling and sweet words that he and Luna had shared earlier that morning.

Hermione noticed the blissful grin on Harry's face, and smiled herself – catching Neville's eye in the process and blushing slightly. Ten minutes into the trip, Ron flung his book down on the table in the centre of the cabin and growled angrily – causing most of the people to jolt, and Harry to crack open his eye. "I just don't get it!" He stabbed his finger accusingly at the book, his ears beginning to turn red. "They say that they used a modified _sonorous _charm to stabilize the latest Firebolt! That's just plain stupid; why would they use a voice spell on a broom?"

"A _modified _voice charm, Ron." Corrected Hermione, and she received a glare.

Harry shocked the entire room by spouting off a three minute mathematical equation off the top of his head, and finished calmly with a, "And that is why they used the _sonorous_ charm to stabilize the Firebolt Mk. II."

That really did shut _everybody_ up, and Harry had three blissful minutes of silence before Ron whistled appreciatively. "Bloody hell mate, how did you know that?"

"Harry and I study, Ron, very much unlike you." Harry smiled at Hermione's terse reply, and decided that he needn't add anything more to the conversation – she had summed it up quite well. The majority of the train ride was unusually peaceful; much to the joy of Harry – who was busy reliving some of Fawkes' memories – Hermione – who was reading a rather heavy tome – and Neville, who was sitting next to her discussing the information in the book.

The peace couldn't last forever however, and Malfoy apparently felt the need to at least annoy Harry once before reaching school. As soon as he poked his head through the door, Harry expertly changed the subject of conversation to how nice the weather was at Azkaban currently. Malfoy's face contorted angrily, and Harry turned to him; mock-surprise on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry Draco; I didn't realize you were eavesdropping."

"You have no right to talk about my _father_ Potter!" He spat bitterly, and Harry raised his eyebrow – tempted to inform the sleazy Slytherin that he actually _did_ have the right…since he had sent him there. Alas, the smirk that seemed to feature so prominently on the younger Malfoy's face couldn't stay at peace for long, and it spread across his features as he looked at the assembled group. "So, poor as usual I see, Weasley." Ron tried to get to his feet, but Neville pushed him back, causing the Malfoy to turn his attention to him instead. "Ah, Neville…still here. Shame your parents weren't here to see you off…" This time it was Harry's turn to hold the black-haired Gryffindor back – waving his fingers inconspicuously and causing a great weight to push him back into his chair.

This, of course, turned the blonde-haired man to look at Harry, sitting by himself on one side of the cabin; his legs stretched out – using the seat almost like a bed; his green eyes regarding Malfoy with a look that the Slytherin couldn't quite place. "Potter." He spat. He looked at the cabin again, and his smirk became even more twisted. "Looks like even your friends don't want to sit with you anymore."

Harry looked over at his companions, a light look on his face, before turning back to Malfoy – his face expressionless. "I really don't think it's that they don't _want_ to sit with me – it's that Hermione and Neville _want_ to sit together and read, and I _wanted_ a seat to myself so that I could sleep – besides," He patted his lap lightly, "I'm saving a place for someone."

Malfoy spluttered humourlessly, and Crab and Goyle; his two faithful companions; snickered mirthfully. "You, Potter, actually saving a seat for someone?" He laughed again, "Who the hell would want to sit on your la-"

His question was answered a moment later when an Eagle zipped over his head, into the cabin, and quickly morphed into a young woman before landing on Harry's lap with a gently thud. Everybody except Harry sat with their mouths wide open in complete and utter shock, while the raven-haired boy smiled at his visitor and pecked her quickly on the lips. "I was wondering when you'd drop in – although I wasn't really expecting you to _drop_." Six pairs of eyes watched, shell-shocked, as the blonde-haired Ravenclaw curled comfortably into Harry's embrace and let out a contented sigh – her grey eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Harry watched – amused – as Malfoy's face paled at what he had just seen, and Ron's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's.

Malfoy – being the considerably more intelligent of the two – spat out a number of obscenities, cursing both Harry and his Animagus lap-mate before finding the cabin door slammed violently shut in his face. The next words to be said in the cabin truly proved just how unbelievably dim-witted the red-head was. "What the hell is she doing here?" He pointed accusingly at Harry. "You betrayed my sister Harry, you stabbed her in the back and-"

"Gave her an illegal love potion, and kept quiet about Dumbledore modifying her memories, and making sure she didn't find out who she truly loved- blah blah blah." Harry paused and frowned for a moment – not missing the open-jawed looks he was receiving from Ron and Neville. "Oh – hold on; it was the other way round, wasn't it?"

Ron's face slowly reddened until it was almost the same shade as his hair before shooting up from his seat, ripping open the cabin door, and running down the train to – Harry assumed – tell his sister and send an owl to his mother. A quick, wandless memory charm took care of that danger, and Ron was left walking down the train with a sudden urge to visit Pansy Parkinson. Neville's mouth-gaping was quickly fixed by a speedy explanation by Hermione as to what exactly was happening, but at the end of it all – while Neville processed the massive implications of what he had learned – Hermione turned to the comfortable-looking lovers and asked just how long Luna had been an Animagus. Harry had given Luna a quick grin before turning into his Phoenix form, causing another round of gasps, and then quickly returning to his human-form to pull his bonded back into his arms.

It took the rest of the train ride to answer all of Neville and Hermione's questions, but it was worth it in Harry's opinion; having another friend who knew about Dumbledore's true intentions was a weight of his shoulders – knowing that another person could be trusted in his and Luna's fight. A quick discussion ensued about perhaps starting secret lessons on Occlumency for the seventh years so that more could be recruited against Dumbledore, and the foursome promised to discuss it in more detail when they next had time.

The opening feast was a joyful affair, and Luna and Harry talked to one another over their bond frequently – laughing at each other's jokes without reservation; their laughter hidden by the loud talking and jokes being told by other students. Neville had joined the 'golden trio' which now probably consisted of him more than Ron, and was talking animatedly with Hermione about a new plant he had discovered in his family's forest. Harry hadn't missed the subtle probes that Dumbledore had sent into his 'mind', and Luna informed him that she had experienced much the same – which didn't worry Harry in the least. Harry and Luna had left their rings on, and had decided to let fate take its course; if somebody made the connection then so be it. Because of Luna's house placement, and the fact that she was a year behind Harry in school, the pair enjoyed relative peace – and a comfortable first few weeks at Hogwarts.

Harry had expected for Dumbledore to once again slack on his duties to train him against the Dark Lord, and so was surprised when Dumbledore informed Harry that he would be resuming his Occlumency training with Severus Snape…and nothing else. Just enough interest to make Harry think that he _was_ being trained, but in all actuality making him weaker – as Harry could see in his first session back with the Potion's Master. Rather than 'testing' the shields of Harry's mind, the death eater actively went out of his way to demolish them – making it clear to Harry just why he had ended up with the horrific migraines the last time he had trained with the Legilimens.

The reason for only a small time of comfort at Hogwarts was, in part, his fault. Hermione, Harry, Luna and Neville had agreed to start their secret Occlumency training of the seventh years, and so on their first night in the Room of Requirement with over one hundred students present – every seventh year except for the Slytherins- it was a little bit hard for the Bonded couple to hide their rings. A cannon-blast charm had ensued when the shouting of questions had reached a feverish pitch, and Harry had calmly informed them that once they had completed their training all would be explained. The fifty students had split into four groups of varying skill. Hermione took the people who had absolutely no previous training, Neville the people who knew the basics, Harry for the advanced group, and Luna took the last group, where she helped them construct a protective mind which they could use as a shield.

Harry had noticed at the beginning of the training that quite a few of the students gave his fiancé rather poignant glances, but had been pleased to notice the student body slowly warm to her once they realized that the rather odd, dreamy act that she projected was simply a mask – minus the frequent mentions of Wrackspurt infestations and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks among other creatures which still featured frequently in her conversations.

Their training stayed a complete secret from all parties not involved – mostly because of the powerful precaution's the organizers had taken to hide their activities from the staff and other students – but also because Albus Dumbledore had become slightly too cocky for his own good, and had dropped his guard somewhat; paying less attention to the students than he had previously. Likewise, the teachers of the seventh years didn't notice the sly glances between the students as they tried to penetrate each other's minds, although Severus Snape had thoroughly enjoyed taking points away from the students that had their wands out without his permission – notably everybody not in Slytherin House. It was in late June – just after all the students had returned after their Summer holidays – and a rather large scale escape had occurred at Azkaban – than Luna took Harry aside after one of their Occlumency sessions and told him that they were ready.

A special meeting for the Occlumency Witches and Wizards was organized through the use of covertly delivered code words, and so, on the 22nd of June, an illegal gathering of exactly one hundred and eight seventh year students occurred. During the next three hours, Harry, Luna, Hermione and Neville had provided their pupils with the memories that they had been training to keep hidden, and the hour after that was spent calming them all down and restraining them from marching en masse to the Headmaster's office and hexing him silly – mostly for the reason that _they_ would be on the receiving end of said hexes rather than the aging Wizard. It was well past midnight that the group dispersed back to their respective houses, and Harry collapsed into a beanbag at the corner of the room – groaning in mock-pain. Luna had quickly dealt to that, informing him that he was sitting on a nest of Wrackspurts, and he shot upwards, flying warily around the room in his Animagus form until he heard the laughter of his three friends below.

Eventually they settled around the fire that the Room had so nicely provided, and discussed the next day. "Are we really going to do what you said?"

Harry turned to Hermione and winked at her. "Well I don't see why we have to make it a sombre matter."

"But he'll surely notice!"

Harry nodded and rested his chin on Luna's head. "That's the point; he'll be completely and utterly at a loss as to why he can't gain access, and he'll be fuming until I drop the bomb at dinner."

Luna smiled dreamily and curled up closed to Harry. "Mmm, I think even the Nargles would be proud of your plan Harry."

He smiled warmly down at her. "They just might at that."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay – two new things are mentioned in this chapter: both from the handy dandy English to Latin translator. The **_**Verto contemno**_** potion translates as being the '****Turning Hate****' potion, and **_**Nex addo**_**, a spell – translates to '****Death Bringer****'. **

The next morning, all the seventh years – except Ron, who had been left out of the entire plan - were surprisingly eager to get up, dressed, and congregate in their respective common rooms – whispering conspiratorially and casting excited glances towards each other. All the younger years were wondering just what was going on, but the seventh years just grinned at them and resumed their whispered conversations – not even giving a hint as to what was going to happen. They all eagerly watched the clock hands tick slowly around, and one minute before the designated time, Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood exited their dorm and walked down the stairs together, drawing warm smiles from the gathering of students, and a look of complete and utter 'ohmigod what the hell' from one Ronald Weasley. Harry checked the clock one last time at the bottom of the stairs, grinned as excitedly as the rest of the students – except, of course, Ron – and walked through the portrait exactly as it chimed half seven.

All of the seventh years left their common rooms at the exact same time, and it made for an odd sight as they all entered the Great Hall simultaneously before sitting down in their respective houses and chattering as if nothing was amiss. Professor Dumbledore frowned slightly, but raised his arms and allowed the morning's meal to appear on the tables. The chatter continued, and slowly the rest of the school filed in – looking equally as confused at their seated elders. Dumbledore sat at the head of the hall, with a frown on his face as he contemplated the reasoning behind the unusual occurrence. McGonagall was whispering to Professor Sprout, asking her if it was some kind of new teenage craze to stick to schedule, but the plant-loving woman simply shook her head – looking just as confused as the rest of the staff. Snape had labelled the behaviour as 'sickening', and stabbed rather more forcefully at the sausages on his plate than he normally did. Dumbledore had been pondering the matter for quite a few minutes before giving up and deciding to perform his usual morning check on his key students.

The first port of call was Ginny Weasley; who he was pleased to find felt that her relationship with Harry Potter was progressing nicely, and who couldn't wait to share his money with her family once they were married. His next probe targeted the younger Weasley's older brother, and what he found made him frown. He was equally as confused about the groups odd behaviour, but he had wondered what Luna Lovegood was doing in his dormitory that morning – or more to the point why Harry had been walking beside her. When the elderly Headmaster drudged up _that_ memory, he immediately jumped to Harry – but found himself bounced back. He frowned, and tried again – but received exactly the same treatment – it was almost as if he was being _blocked_. Seeing no reaction from the student of attention, Dumbledore stood up and leant down beside Snape's ear. "Severus, are you keeping up with your duties regards Harry Potter?"

The Potion Master's eye tWitched at the mention of the young Potter. "Yes Headmaster, every week I destroy his shields."

"Well then Severus, please tell me why I cannot pierce his mind this morning."

The Death Eater frowned at Dumbledore's words, and immediately focused his eyes on the student in question. He forced his way forwards, but found that much like the Headmaster only moments before, his efforts were deflected. He tried three times more before trying to do the same to Hermione Granger, but found his efforts failing to do anything – even provoking a reaction on their faces. He turned, confused to the Headmaster. "I'm afraid I cannot explain this; I will look into the matter."

Dumbledore returned to his seat, more than a little disgruntled at the phenomenon, and proceeded to eat his eggs while probing the other students. Or at least trying to. He found himself getting increasingly more frustrated as he tried to force his way through the mental barriers of Neville, and then had no luck with either Dean Thomas or Seamus Finnigan. In desperation he sWitched to the Ravenclaw table – and found himself blocked by Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, and every other face he set his eyes on. He felt a leap of triumph when he pierced the mind of a sixth year Hufflepuff – but his victory was short-lived when he realized that the young girl had absolutely no information of any value. He checked every seventh year student personally, and found himself forced away at every attempt until he reached the Slytherin table, where he found virtually every mind open like a book.

He looked over the students that seemed to have blocked him, and his frown deepened when he saw that they seemed completely unaware of his attempts to force his way inside their minds – or if they did then they were hiding it. For the rest of breakfast Dumbledore valiantly tried to break inside Luna Lovegood's mind, focusing all of his energy on the young woman – even forgoing his breakfast to strengthen his effort. Harry saw the stilled Headmaster and followed his gaze, relaxing when he saw it was fixed on Luna. "How are you holding up love?"

Her bubbly reply came a moment later, and Harry smiled happily at his table. "Very well thank you Harry, although it does feel as if somebody is forcing quite a barrage of – oh, Snape decided to join in!" On the contrary to sounding scared at the prospect, she came across as positively gleeful for the challenge, but found that she had more than enough power to continue eating her breakfast – she absolutely loved Dobby's pancakes. An hour passed, and all of the students began filing out to head to their first lessons of the day, leaving two of the faculty _very_ frustrated. For the rest of the day – barring lunch when his annoying voice was drowned out by his other friends – Ron constantly pestered Harry about his relationship with Luna Lovegood. Harry found it hard not to punch the read-head full in the face at a couple of points, but somehow found it in himself to save it for later.

All of the teacher's that taught the seventh year students noticed a difference in their attitude immediately; they seemed to be buzzing with excitement, and actually trying hard in their lessons; something that was quite out of the norm for nearly every student apart from Hermione. One thing that all the students in the sixth year noticed was Luna Lovegood, and the smiles and conversations she shared happily with all the older students in the hallways. One of the Slytherins decided to pass comment on the matter, stating that she was a 'dreamy loony whore', and was quickly dragged into an empty classroom by several older students for a 'little chat'. Nobody had said a word against the odd Ravenclaw from that moment forth.

Likewise, the younger students – and the older Slytherins – noticed an almost overnight change in how all the other houses treated Harry Potter. Much to Draco and Snape's disgust, Harry was often seen laughing happily with his peers in both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and quite often shared covert jokes in class – causing virtually the whole room to snicker quietly. The reports of the odd behaviour came in frequently to Dumbledore throughout the whole day – although it was only the potion's master that thought it a bad thing – and it caused no end to his distress. It was as dinner approached that things came to a crescendo. The excited buzz seemed to increase, and it was commonplace to see small groups of the older students huddled in corners and hallways with wide, excited eyes and wide grins.

As soon as Dumbledore entered the Great Hall for dinner he noticed the change. The whole room seemed electrified, and the older students seemed more animated than usual; their gestures more wild, and their chatter louder than ever before. It was with great apprehension that Dumbledore raised his arms and began the feast, and he nearly winced as the food appeared on the tables; expecting something bad to happen. When nothing happened after five seconds, Dumbledore sat down at his chair at the centre of the staff table and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the accumulated students. His eyes swept over Harry Potter and his friends, and stuck there for a few moments as he once again tried to break their mental defences – but once again found his access to the teenagers' minds obstructed. Frustrated, he angrily chewed on his chicken drumstick – but the food dropped from his mouth – and quite a number of the staff and students – when a trill of Phoenix song came from overhead.

Fawkes gracefully glided down to Harry and dropped a small, green letter beside his plate before flying off, just seeing Harry's thankful, two-fingered salute before disappearing once again. What shocked Dumbledore and virtually everybody was the seventh years' lack of reaction to the intrusion. Harry's friends continued talking as if it was the most expected thing in the universe, and the other houses' eldest students merely gave the mystical bird a slight wave or nod before continuing with their meal. The sound from the older students obscured the deafening silence from the staff, younger magicians and Slytherins, and Dumbledore watched as Harry picked up the letter. Harry had laughed internally when he had seen Dumbledore's reaction to the Phoenix, but was equally as glad to receive the reply to the letter he and Luna had sent to her father two days previously. He had enclosed a picture that one of the Ravenclaw's had snapped, with Luna and Harry holding hands and smiling happily – their rings clearly visible, and he was eager to read her father's reaction to the news.

He carefully sliced the envelope with his fingernail and pulled out the folded letter before unfolding it and allowing his eyes to read over the elegant scrawl on its yellowed surface.

_Dear Harry and Luna._

_I must say that your letter was a bit of a surprise – I had expected you not to write this term, so that Dumbledore would have no reason to suspect you – but now I can see why you risked it. When I saw the picture of the both of you, I won't lie: I cried. Luna, you looked so beautiful and happy beside Harry – I've never seen anything like it before in my life. Your eyes were full of life, and the way you looked at Harry assured me that you had found the one – even though I already knew it. _

_I can remember the day that you came home for your first holidays after starting at Hogwarts, and the loneliness that I saw in your eyes. I remember the nightmares that you used wake from, screaming; and you later told me that it was because you saw yourself dying alone. It broke my heart to hear you say that, and I even considered pulling you out of Hogwarts once you told me about some of the things you faced there. I was going to send the letter in fact, the night you wrote to me for the first time in your fourth year. I read that you had made friends with Harry and Hermione, and that you felt safer now that you knew you had people that cared for you._

_I tore up that letter to Dumbledore right there and then, and when I next saw you I was amazed at the change. You were more confident, you had the life back in your eyes, and I often caught you staring happily at the horizon, a look on your face that I hadn't seen since your trip into Ottery St Catchpole. I saw you begin to heal._

_I couldn't have been happier when I found Harry in your life last year, not as a friend, but as your lover. Although I was shocked at the circumstances, and the horrors that both of you had had to face to find each other, it only strengthened my hope that you were made for each other. I remember the moment Harry spat out the words "You know we're bonded?" I most certainly did not know, hence the large amount of spluttering and wheezing that followed his statement – I wouldn't worry Harry, I've forgiven you for nearly giving me a heart attack. Before my very eyes I saw the both of you develop into the most loving couple I have ever seen – and I thank you Harry for turning my daughter into such a beautiful and thoughtful young woman._

_I had been meaning to tell both of you last holidays, but Luna informed me at the last minute that she would be spending her time with you – and so I expect you both at the Lovegood home for Christmas this year; NO EXCUSES HARRY! What I meant to tell you was that not only did you have my blessing for just your relationship, but indeed your eternal union. I know it is not really required, since you are both already bonded, but I feel the need to tell the both of you how proud I am, and how much I accept you both._

_I read what you plan to do with Dumbledore this week, and I can only hope that this letter aids in the chaos you will cause. I have – I'm sure you will both be happy – met with Tonks and Remus, and have also managed to secretly recruit Minerva McGonagall, Fleur Delacour, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Rubius Hagrid, along with Arthur, Fred and George Weasley, all of whom will stand behind you during the fight against the dark. _

_Raise hell you two, and keep safe,_

_Lots of Love,_

_Xenophilius Lovegood_

Harry smiled at the words, and quickly wiped a tear from his eye before flicking the letter above his head and wandlessly guiding it to Luna's outstretched hand. While Luna read through her father's letter, Harry noticed several things happening in the room. Firstly, the younger years had begun to talk again, although only in muted whispers, Slytherin table looked furious, and he saw Draco glancing worriedly at Snape, who looked deathly pale. Harry glanced up at the rest of the staff and caught the eyes of two of them – Professor McGonagall and Hagrid; both of whom gave him an almost unnoticeable smile and nod, and finally Harry's eyes came to rest of Dumbledore; who looked as if he had just been slapped across the face with a Bowtruckled Flobberworm. His face was slowly turning red, and Harry was sure his blood-pressure must be reaching dangerously high level.

With a cry of "Harry!" the raven-haired Wizard snapped back to attention and turned only just in time to see a blur of gold flying towards him. He caught the flying woman, and allowed himself to be tacked _over_ the Gryffindor table and onto a mattress he had conjured on the other side. Harry could've sworn he heard Hermione whisper, "I told you so" as he flew overhead, but he had no time to dwell on the matter as the Ravenclaw pressed her lips passionately to his, and every thought in his mind disappeared. After quite some time passionately kissing, Luna broke away and blushed at a few cat-calls she caught over the chatter. Harry pulled himself to his feet after banishing the mattress and pulled Luna into a firm embrace. "I'm so glad Daddy gave us his blessing Harry!"

Harry nodded and smiled into her hair. "I know, me too."

It seemed however, that everything had become a bit too much for the Headmaster at that point, and they were all treated to his rare yell of "SILENCE!" which seemed to echo unnaturally around the huge hall. And silence he got; every student looked up at him; albeit the majority of the seventh years' with expectant smiles on their faces, and he paused to catch his breath – missing when McGonagall flicked her wand and petrified the greasy potions teacher. "What is this?" He hissed savagely, and both Harry and Luna noted that his words sounded quite similar to one Vernon Dursley.

Harry smiled innocently up at him, and asked the question that quite a few people were wondering. "What is what sir?"

"What is _that_?" The old man hissed, and pointed to Harry and Luna's joined hands.

Harry looked down at her pale fingers intertwined with his, and then back up at the Headmaster in confusion. "Umm…joined hands?" He offered.

"Why," he stabbed his finger at them again, "are you together?"

Harry – had he not been just winding the powerful Wizard up – would have been genuinely confused at this point. "Because we love each other…I thought that's why most people are together…"

The entire school gasped when the white-haired man whipped out his wand and pointed it at the newly-revealed couple. "You can't be."

"Actually we can," Luna raised her left hand, and Harry raised his to clearly show off the rings on their fingers. "Engaged, see?"

"_Fiendfyre!"_ The entire hall gasped as a whole when the curse was spoken, and watched – horrified, as a giant dragon of fire emerged from the tip of the Headmaster's wand. Harry and Luna both pulled their wands from their pockets when they saw the horrific flames begin to lick the ceiling, and tensed when it came rushing towards them. The entire Gryffindor table screamed when they saw the huge creature surge towards them, and ducked under the table. Dumbledore's view of the two students disappeared behind his wall of fire – but it was with wide eyes that he saw his flames seem to freeze in mid-air before falling in a solid mass to the rock floor and shatter with a deafening crash.

Standing completely unharmed, were the two students he had intended to kill; a milky white shield surrounding them and the entire Gryffindor table. Harry saw the crazed look in the man's eyes and knew without a doubt that tonight would be the night one of them would fall, and that he needed to keep the students safe at all costs. With a nod to his fellow seventh years, an almost deafening boom echoed out in the large hall as they grabbed the younger students and Slytherins before apparating themselves to their common rooms – unhindered by the school's wards which Harry had been slowly dismantling for the past three months. Dumbledore looked as if the rug had been whipped from underneath his feet at the incredible act, and roared angrily as his two enemies gave him one last look before popping out of existence themselves.

What ensued was a horrific and terrifying demonstration of some of the most powerful magic on Earth. The students who were safe in their common rooms rushed to the windows to peer outside as Dumbledore appeared nearly a hundred meters from where Harry and Luna were standing on the school grounds, and even from where they were standing they could feel the waves of power from the old man. Harry gave a nod to his fiancé, and forced through their own wards, finally exposing their magical auras to the outside world. It felt as if they could finally take in a full breath, their unrestricted magic flowing freely through their veins, unhindered by the secrecy wards. Everybody's eyes widened at the sight of the now visible auras of the couple – so powerful it actually manifested as a soft, white glow, while black curls of darkness seemed to flow off the Headmaster. The two forces clashed simultaneously, and the dark ground lit up with huge bursts of light, flame and ice.

Luna knew her lover needed time to begin his rhythmic spellchaining, and so forced her shields outwards – deflecting Albus' immensely dark magic and firing her own deadly bolts of light across the expanse. Everybody knew when Harry had finished his preparations. He had felt the power of his opponent's shields and dark magic, and so had done something he had never once before attempted. Luna felt the blast as her lover fully uncaged his magic, and braced herself for the inevitable onslaught from her partner. When it came, it wasn't the typical sequence of stunner, stunner, bonecrusher, Sectumsempra she was expecting. What emerged was a flurry of spells which even she had never heard before. In the moments before he attacked, Fawkes had provided him with a sequence that seemed to be made for the simple purpose of complete and utter annihilation, and he had taken it without a second thought.

The first spell that twisted his lips was foreign, but produced a titanic wave of light, which blasted right through several of the Headmaster's defences, and the second a twisting beam of red, which shot forth from his fingertips with a speed and ferocity that made even the students in the castle flinch. The chain continued for several minutes before repeating once more, and Luna struggled to keep her own shields strong enough against Harry as well as protecting him from Dumbledore's ever-present attacks. She felt her last resistance to Harry's power fail, and braced herself for the unavoidable blast of raw power – but opened her eyes when she felt a warmth spread around her. She saw Harry standing there, his mouth still moving furiously; reciting the spells at a staggering rate, but smiling at her from the corner of his eye. His voice seemed to come from all around her. "I promised I would 'do the boyfriend thing', didn't I?"

She smiled back at him and nodded, before savagely resurrecting her shields around Harry when a deep slice opened across his cheek. In-between attacks she healed his wound, and he nodded his thanks when it finally closed. Dumbledore knew he was on the losing end of the battle; his shields were being decimated by the potent storm of spells from his students, and so he pulled his last resort out into the open. He flung the two objects towards the couple, and grinned when he saw them pass through their defences unhindered. Harry knew something terrible had happened when he felt something pierce his leg, and he felt a twinge of pain through his link to Luna as well – turning to see her pulling a dark spike from her arm, grimacing at the pain. It was then that Harry felt the poison coursing through his veins – and he could feel its powerful dark magic slowly affecting his mind. He immediately stopped his spell casting and limped over to Luna, ripping the dark spike from his leg on the way, before focusing all of his energy into his shields and purging his and Luna's bodies of the dark magic flowing through them.

His mind began to cloud over, but in a moment of startling clarity a memory floated into focus. He leaned down to Luna's ear, struggling against the horrible pain from resisting, and said two words. "_Verto contemno_." Her eyes widened through the pain and she looked up at him, horrified. The potion that was flowing through their veins was perhaps the darkest potion of all time. The _turning hate_ potion, as it was translated, did what most Wizards considered to be impossible; it turned love to hate. It was such a forbidden potion, with such horrific consequences for the drinkers that it had all but disappeared from the world's knowledge. When Dilys had been telling them of the potion during their training, they had both been repulsed by the fact that it even existed – but both of them were now subject to its effects first hand. When she had looked up at Harry, she had seen something that gave her some hope – and fought against her rising hate for the man in front of her as he pressed his lips to hers.

Harry sunk into the feeling; so familiar, but so different every time. The softness of her lips always made him moan, and the feeling of her body pressed against his raised feelings to the surface that he had promised himself to not let lose until their wedding night. Unbeknownst to Harry, Luna was experiencing much the same sensation – and she smiled as she heard her bonded moan into her mouth before flicking her tongue teasingly against his. Harry held her as close as he could without hurting her, and drowned himself in the love she was feeding him, and pouring his feelings into the kiss he was giving her. He felt the hate surge at being fought, and nearly broke away from her lips before forcing himself back to her – holding her lips to his with the hand he had resting on the back of her head. Luna felt a wave of disgust shoot through her as his hand forced her back to him, but battled against the feeling, wrapping her arms around his waist and forcing his body against hers.

Slowly the poison seeped into their memories, forcing its way through their shields as if they didn't even exist, and Harry felt his hate for Luna grow as the vile potion forced his thoughts to her faults and shortcomings. It seemed to whisper to him that she was unworthy, a weak, disgusting whore that deserved nothing better than to be used and then cast aside like a doll. He felt the dark views asserting themselves over his own – but fought furiously against the evil force; knowing with all his heart that he loved the woman beside him with all his being. In the same way, the potion had turned Luna's thoughts against the man in her arms, and she felt tears leaking form her eyes as it manipulated her memories and forced hate upon her, sinking into her thoughts and ripping through her body like fire. The two clung desperately to one another, tears running down their cheeks and their eyes squeezed shut in pain as Dumbledore's dark fluid surged through their veins. Harry pushed the memories of their happiness through their kiss, through their link to give Luna strength, and she returned his love; forcing her feelings above the hate and forcing them through the dark blockade to her beloved.

Harry felt his grip on his love slipping and forced himself back towards her comforting presence, pushing himself through their connection and reaching out to her mind, clutching desperately for her touch, any sign of her love, any sign of _her_. His call was answered, and he felt a gentle presence cling to his, and he held onto the connection with his life. Luna felt his presence in her mind and nearly cried in relief – knowing that he was with her; that he had kept his promise to never leave her side. Harry felt a new spark of power inside himself, and pushed Luna his feelings, forcing it past the clutches of the _Verto contemno_ and into her soul, while she did the same for him; feeding him her love and care; every memory that he had ever given her; every meaningful moment that filled her with happiness. The two lovers began to feel the darkness recede, and their love flow more freely across their connection, and Harry smiled joyously against Luna's tear-covered lips while she clutched at his back with a newfound strength; pushing herself against him once again; closing the gap that had begun to inch between them.

Dumbledore and the students had been watching the two lovers for the past hour with all their might, and the old man felt a surge of triumph when he saw their shields finally collapse and drop. Slowly the Witch and the Wizard separated their lips, and Dumbledore found his twisted grin turn into a look of complete disbelief when Harry tenderly reached up and brush a stray hair from Luna's face before running his finger down her sweat and tear-stained cheek. He met her stunning silver eyes with his emerald, and smiled lovingly down at her. "I love you."

"NO! _Nex addo!_" Dumbledore's desperate cry rung over the ruined battlefield, and a serpentine shadow forced itself from the end of his wand, filling the entire gap between the two forces.

Harry stared at the creature's red eyes and saw a very familiar memory in its glowing orbs – a memory Luna had shared with him; a memory of the netherworld. Harry stepped forward confidently, and Luna stood by his side, her eyes glowing mystically in the darkness – matching her true love's which were glittering serenely in the face of hell. He raised his hand above his head, and yelled to the sky. "FAWKES!"

Almost as if waiting for the call, a line of flame burst from the clouds above the demon, and quickly disappeared inside the dark mass – causing it to writhe in agony, and release a scream that made all the castle's inhabitant's cover their ears in pain. Harry and Luna glanced at each other and, with a mere nod, sprinted forth and morphed into their animagus forms. They reached the dreadful creature and dove inside its black mist – joining Fawkes in the middle and returning to their human forms. The two lovers held tight to one another inside the choking power surrounding them and let forth an explosion of their remaining energy – blasting a beam of pure, uncorrupted light right through the head of the great beast. The beam speared the demon with a sizzling hiss, and shot upwards before disappearing through the clouds above, and the creature itself released a earth-shattering, bone-chilling scream that pierced even the lover's shields – making their ears bleed. With a furious implosion, a dark shockwave blew outwards – sending the summoner of the Incubus flying into the wall of Hogwarts with a sickening crunch, and leaving a massive crater in the middle of the battle field. The entire Hogwarts population held their breaths.

Slowly the dust and smoke settled, and McGonagall nearly fainted at the sight that greeted the eyes of everyone. Standing in the middle of the crater was Fawkes; his wings outstretched and a red shield covering the two warriors underneath. Harry was curled protectively over Luna, and blood streamed from lacerations covering his arm, which was held above even the Phoenix, projecting a stunningly white barrier protecting all of them underneath. Slowly the powerful shield flickered, and then disappeared completely form view, and Fawkes brought his feathers back into his body. Luna opened her eyes which she had squeezed shut as the Hell-daemon had exploded, and her head shot upwards when she felt something warm drip on her forehead. She saw Harry's tired, but relieved smile above her, but gasped when she saw the ruined state of his arm and the blood leaking from his wounds.

Tenderly she helped him stand, and then quickly begun to heal his cuts. He stopped her once she had stemmed the bleeding, and nodded over to the castle walls where the broken and bloodied Headmaster lay, placing his hand over hers. "I can't do it." She looked up at him, shocked, and he stared grimly at her. "I would if I could Luna, but I don't have enough power."

She understood his words, and nodded solemnly before helping him limp slowly with her. When they were within touching distance of the old Headmaster, Luna gently let Harry onto the ground where he sat, panting and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Hesitantly she stepped forward, and Dumbledore's fading eyes looked up at her in disgust. Harry watched as she pulled out her wand, and pulled himself painfully to his feet before she could cast the spell. She jolted when she felt her fiancé's arms wrap around her, but then relaxed when she realized his intentions. He gently wrapped his hand around hers, and helped her raised the wand to point it directly at the man who had tried to kill them. Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly and then started saying the curse, joined by Luna.

Every student jolted when they saw the green flash impact against the now ex-Headmaster's chest, under absolutely no illusions of what the spell was, but rushed to the doors when they saw Harry collapse and Luna crouch down beside him worriedly. He smiled up at her, and saw the happy tears in her eyes before chuckling himself, and then gasping at the pain that tore through his chest. "Don't make me laugh."

She sobbed in happiness and wrapped her arms around him, and the pair watched as the lanterns streamed out of the castle towards them. She looked down into his stunning green eyes and pressed a tender kiss to his dry lips, causing him to smile. "I love you."


	11. Chapter 11

Harry and Luna spent the next week in the hospital wing. Harry wasn't overly happy with having to stay stuck inside, but had brightened considerably when Madam Pomfrey had grudgingly allowed the two injured teens to sleep together – and even McGonagall had to smile when he saw her two students snuggled comfortably against each other, deeply asleep with identical smiles on their faces. Not everything following Dumbledore's death had been quite so cut-and-dry however; Ron and Ginny had managed to create an uproar in the Weasley household by writing to one Miss Mollywobbles and informing her of Harry and Luna's relationship – a matter which had promptly been dealt with by bringing the furious woman into Hogwarts and obliviating her. The rest of the school – bar Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years along with the majority of the staff – had agreed to allow McGonagall to suppress their memories of the previous night; although Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini had put up quite a fight.

The story which the press, Ministry and memory charmed students were told was that Dumbledore had taken a leave of absence to attend to some urgent business, and that Minerva McGonagall had been left the acting Headmistress of the school. Neville and Hermione had been the couples' first visitors, and had gasped when they saw Harry's heavily bandaged arm – to which he sheepishly told them that it'd heal with a few scars. Neville had brought the two a plant he had been breeding in the school's greenhouse, and the two injured teens had sighed happily at the pleasant fragrance that it gave off – pleased that they could no longer smell the sterile aroma of the hospital wing. Hermione had snuck in Dilys and Armando's portraits, and had looked incredibly guilty when Madam Pomfrey asked her if she was behaving herself.

Slowly the pair begun to recover, and at the end of the week they were finally discharged from the hospital wing – with orders to head straight to McGonagall's office. Both Harry and Luna would have preferred to forego the meeting and reacquaint themselves in their dormitory, but rules were rules and neither of them wanted to get on the new Headmistress's bad side – and so they found themselves sat at a large table in what used to be Dumbledore's office, looking nervously around at all of the assembled teachers. As soon as McGonagall entered, Snape stood up from his seat angrily and pointed furiously at the two seated teens. "Minerva, I demand that these two _children_ be removed from this meeting at once."

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrow and sat herself at the head of the table before saying anything to the infuriated potions teacher. "You _demand_ that I remove them, do you? Remember just who you are talking to." Snape looked completely taken aback at her tone, and sat back down in his chair – his face thunderous. Minerva gave her colleague one last glance before starting the meeting. "Due to recent circumstances, some changes have had to me made to the school." Everybody but Snape shared knowing glances, and both Luna and Harry received several slightly fearful – but respectful looks. The Scottish woman summoned a folder of parchment and carefully plucked the first from its covers. "The wards around Hogwarts have been severely damaged; from what we cannot be sure, but we have hired Gringotts to repair the damage."

"Headmistress, shouldn't the matter of why the wards were broken be looked into further? Surely it is a danger if it cannot be prevented?"

McGonagall looked at Luna with a flicker of surprise, but nodded when she realised what she was doing. "You are correct Miss Lovegood, which is why we also have the Ministry on the grounds conducting research." The young blonde nodded, and smiled when she felt Harry's hand wrap around her own under the table. McGonagall noticed the identical grins on the two students' faces, and decided to continue rather than bring attention to it in front of Severus. "Additionally, Fawkes is standing guard around the castle; intercepting any mail that contains information about our currently damaged defences – if Voldemort discovered the state out school was in, an attack would be inevitable."

Snape seemed about to interject about Fawkes' presence in the school; having been the only person Dumbledore had told about the Phoenix's desertion, but quickly quietened when he saw the two young magicians looking at him. McGonagall looked at Tonks and Remus, a plaintive expression on her face. "I'm afraid that – once again – the curse of the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse seems to continue. Remus has responsibilities that come above that of teaching," Both Harry and Luna glanced at one another; understanding that he would be working with the Order to track down their last remaining enemy, "and so will be leaving us from tonight. Tonks will also be leaving her Arithmancy post for the same reasons, and her absence will be effective immediately after this meeting has finished."

Harry glanced over at the couple, and gave them a thankful nod – which the two teachers returned with a smile. "Minerva, may I nominate myself for the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts, I feel I would be sufficient as a teacher."

Minerva looked at Severus and nodded. "I agree that you certainly have a sound knowledge on the subject of the Dark Arts, and I also agree that you would make a sufficient teacher for the subject – so yes, you may nominate yourself." Snape's happy leer turned into a frown at her words; having anticipated receiving the position immediately, and sat down looking more than a little irritated. Minerva turned back to the staff. "So two of our best teachers will be leaving us tonight – and they will both be sorely missed. I have often heard of students enjoying Tonks' energetic lessons, and Remus' engaging and hands-on Defence course; and finding replacements that match both their skill and respect with the students will be very hard."

She paused for a moment to rifle through the thick folder, and proceeded to pull two smaller folders from it. She pulled the first one onto the desk in front of her, and opened its front cover. "Luna Marie Lovegood. Since beginning at Hogwarts she had displayed an aptitude for drawing some criticism in regards some of the creatures she so often mentions – all of whom actually exist but just haven't been publicly recognized." Harry chuckled lightly and placed his hand on the blonde's knee; remembering when she had first introduced him to the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in her family's forest. "Although teachers have often commented that her attention always seems elsewhere in their classes, Luna achieves very highly on all of her examinations – and recently scored above 99% on a NEWT Arithmancy test."

This drew a number of gasps from all of the teachers, and Luna blushed lightly. McGonagall smiled at her modesty, and continued with an even more astounding fact. "The one question which she got _wrong_, in fact wasn't wrong at all. Miss Lovegood in fact discovered a flaw in the question which has been in use for over twenty seven years, and in fact would have scored full marks if the Ministry weren't stubborn enough to dispel her corrections because she was a student." Loud scoffing followed that, and quite a few derogatory comments were aimed at the Minister's meddling. McGonagall conveniently seemed to not hear the curses, and then dropped the bomb shell. "She has – with my permission and supervision – passed her NEWTs with the second highest recorded score in Hogwarts history, and as such will graduate at the end of the year with her seventh years. As such, I nominate her for the position of Arithmancy teacher at Hogwarts."

Open mouths, and shocked looks faced the Headmistress' suggestion – including Harry and Luna's. McGonagall noted the seeming lack of objections and smiled. "Well then Miss Lovegood, it would seem that you have been offered the post of Arithmancy teacher at Hogwarts."

Harry had gotten over the shock first, and squeezed her hand tightly before grinning at her. She looked up at him with a silent question in her eyes, and he nodded firmly. "_I know it's something you've always thought of doing._"

She looked back at McGonagall, and with only the smallest of pauses, nodded. "I'll do it."

The Headmistress nodded happily at the young woman's decision and vanished her portfolio with a flick of her hand. "Excellent, I assume that you will be up to the challenge of dropping your classes and begin teaching tomorrow?"

"Yes Headmis- Minerva" She corrected herself when she caught a stern glance from the Scottish woman.

"Good. Now, onto the next matter; the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position." She shuffled through some papers again and drew out another folder, placing it next to the remaining one on the desk. "I did have only one choice for the teacher, but now I am faced with a dilemma."

She flicked open the latest folder and her eyes whizzed over the paper – frowning at quite a few notes that seemed to have been made. "Severus Snape – you have taught potions at this school for sixteen years, and Defence Against the Dark Arts for one. During that time, I have noticed that the only students that seem to excel in your classes are those which have been sorted into Slytherin." Severus' mouth opened to interject, but he was quickly hushed by a glare from the new Headmistress. "Additionally, your notes about why certain points were deducted from students' Houses are more than a little concerning. Take…" She flicked through some notes, and then stopped at a certain entry, her finger pointing at some scribbled writing on the parchment. "Five points taken from Hermione Granger for being an insufferable know-it-all." She glanced up at the glaring Potions Master. "I know for a fact that Hermione would not flaunt her knowledge – she is very modest."

She slammed the folder firmly shut, and then pushed it aside before picking up the last folder on her desk. She flicked the cover open with her wand; unlocking the spells keeping it locked, and pursed her lips as she read over its contents. "Harry James Potter-"

"I object Minerva!"

She once again raised her eyebrows as the Slytherin. "On what grounds Severus?"

He glared over at the raven-haired boy, who stared coolly back. "Such an arrogant and useless student should not be given the privilege of teaching here – he's just like his father; all talk, no brains or skill."

Harry gritted his teeth at the last part, and was about to interject with some fairly heated comments when McGonagall threw a piece of parchment at the man. Harry watched as his eyes widened, completely disbelieving at what was written on the paper, and McGonagall continued. "As I was saying, Miss Lovegood has the second highest score in her NEWT exams at this school – and only missed out on a perfect score by the one question in her Arithmancy examination. Harry Potter however, not only made corrections to the problem, but also provided the incorrect answer they were looking for – and they were forced to give him the mark. You are, Severus Snape, sitting in the presence of the first person to ever score full marks in their NEWTs."

For the second time that day, all the eyes in the room swivelled to look at Harry and Luna – but this time Harry's eyes were the widest of the lot, and he nearly missed the Headmistress's next words. "Although on the surface you would seem to be the logical choice for this position Severus, I am afraid that you are more versed _in_ the Dark Arts rather than in the defence of them. Harry Potter has on numerous occasions proven his worth in this manner – defeating the Dark Lord several times, and a very powerful dark Wizard in recent weeks."

"Who?" He hissed.

The tall Scotsman ignored his question, and turned again to Harry, who by this point had a fair idea of what was going to happen, and who was only broken from his shocked reverie by a subtle dig in the ribs that Luna delivered to him. "So Harry, how would you like to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

The moment the couple were out of the office, Luna pushed him against the nearest wall and snogged him absolutely senseless. "Harry, you got full marks!"

He laughed and pulled her to his chest, resting against the stone wall behind him to stop his legs from collapsing. "You did as well Luna; they just didn't give you the mark – even though they should have." He squeezed her tighter. "Your mother would be proud."

It was almost like a secret mission; but even so, the move from their normal dorms into their new Teacher's quarters garnered quite a lot of attention from the students in-between classes. The first person to catch sight of the pair was Hermione, who rushed over, a worried look on her face. "Where have you two been? Neville and I went to visit you in the hospital wing before classes and you were gone, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell us where you had disappeared to!"

Harry was about to explain, but saw Ron making a beeline for their position. With a wink that left much to the imagination, he whispered to the bushy-haired Witch. "You'll see tomorrow."

The red-head joined the small group and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Harry and Luna. "Why are you two together again?"

"Just running some errands for McGonagall actually Ron; Luna can't apparate so I'm her transport for the day – she needs to pick up some magical creatures for Hagrid, and I'm absolutely pants at remembering the names of the darn things." His eyes still narrowed, he grunted in agreement, and a minute later, Hermione and Ron left to head to their next class.

Fawkes ran interference with the Weasley family for the rest of the day – although there were a few close misses with levitating couches and Ginny at around midday. Finally, just as dinner was beginning, the engaged couple collapsed onto their couch in front of the roaring fire with identical sighs of relief. They looked around their miniature common room in satisfaction, deciding to go with the colours of Ravenclaw for decoration and leaving the comforting reds and yellows of Gryffindor for their bedroom. Dobby popped in about halfway through their snuggling session to deliver their dinner, and the poor house elf nearly cried when Harry and Luna invited him to stay for dinner. The three companions thoroughly enjoyed their roast chicken, and Dobby did cry when both of the young teachers pulled him into a hug and told him to visit whenever he wanted. Finally they were completely alone – even Fawkes having gone for the night to watch the Gringotts goblins at work, and Harry tenderly wrapped his arm around his fiancé's waist – who intertwined her fingers with his and relaxed into his chest.

Quietly the couple discussed their next day at Hogwarts, not as students but as teachers. Luna decided to teach her students Harry's methods in Arithmancy to prepare them for their upcoming examinations, while the raven-haired man resolved to teach _all_ of his classes – even the first years – about the Unforgivable Curses, and ways to fight them. It was with smiles on their faces that the two fell asleep on the couch that night, ready for the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Harry stood at the front of the Defence Against the Dark Arts room feeling strangely out of place. He had never stood at the front of the class before, except when he had been pulled up by Snape and ridiculed, and he wondered just what it would be like when all of the empty seats in front of him filled up with his first class of the year. He had seen Luna off that morning with a lingering kiss that promised more when they finished for the day, and had immediately met with McGonagall to tell him, and get her permission, for his plans for the day. Afterwards, he had come to the quiet room – making sure that he had at least an hour to prepare for the first years. He looked down at his jeans and white top with a chuckle – what _would_ they all think?

With a wave of his hand, the room lightened considerably, and Harry fixed the wards in place – the darkness that the room had gained a reputation for, gone at long last. Over the next half an hour, Harry worked to make the room something that Hogwarts had never seen before. He pulled information that he remembered Hermione telling him about the enchanted main dining hall, the moving staircases, and even some of Fawkes' memories from the two founders he had been bonded to. At the end of his work, Harry looked proudly around at his new creation. The roof was no longer a roof, but faded off into a sunny sky which brightened the room even more, and warmed the air around him with a comforting heat. The windows that had been peering out at the dreary lake of Hogwarts now looked out upon a meadow which very much resembled the Lovegood's, and the room was draped with colourful material that represented the unity of the houses of Hogwarts.

Harry was just putting his hands on his hips with a feeling of accomplishment, when a timid head poked in the door of the room. Harry looked at the young girl as her small mouth dropped in amazement, and her clear blue eyes widened to the size of saucers. She stepped into the room and looked up at the clear sky in complete awe, and it was several minutes before she realized that Harry was standing at the front of the class. Immediately she shied away, and averted her eyes – which reminded the raven-haired Wizard fondly of a younger Hermione. "You're here awfully early."

He said lightly, and the young girl glanced nervously up – surprised when she saw just who the young man was. "You're Harry Potter!" She said confidently, and Harry laughed at the complete 'Hermioneness' of the Ravenclaw's tone.

"Yes I am, but you still haven't answered my question; classes don't start for another thirty minutes."

The young girl looked down nervously and muttered something that Harry only caught because of a charm he had cast around the room. "I like to study in the mornings, and Professor Moody always helped me with it."

Harry levitated one of the chairs to beside his desk at the front and smiled friendly at the studious young Witch. When the rest of the class filed in, he noticed much the same gasps of awe from the students, but continued speaking to the young girl until the class had finally settled into their seats. Once again, Harry caught some comments towards the girl sitting beside him that made him frown, and he finally closed the conversation with Lisa – as she had told him – before allowing her to walk to her seat. Five minutes of silence followed before one of the boys piped up from the back – apparently thinking that Harry – seeming like just a seventh year – would not reprimand him for slandering the blue-eyed Ravenclaw. "So, stupid little Lisa had to come and get extra tutoring."

"And that will be five points from Gryffindor." Harry stepped forwards, and the students stared back at him in shock. He fixed the young Wizard with a stare. "There will be no cussing in my class – especially when it is not deserved. Tell me, what is the counter-curse for Avada Kedavra?"

The boy spluttered for a few moments, and Harry instead turned to the apparently 'stupid little Lisa' for her opinion. Quietly, she answered. "There is no counter-curse."

Harry nodded and smiled. "Correct: five points to Ravenclaw. The Killing Curse is the only curse which cannot be blocked, is that right?" He pointed to one of the boys at the back of the class that looked like he was dozing. Apparently flustered at having been called upon, the young Wizard quickly answered that yes, it was. Harry smiled to himself – it reminded him of himself when he was younger. "Generally correct-"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A yell came from the back of the room, and the majority of the students screamed as the green flash flew overhead, only to be absorbed by a dark yellow shield which Harry had erected.

With a smile and a cherry "Thank you," to the Headmistress at the door – who nodded and left, Harry continued with his speech. "But not so." For the next hour, Harry – much to the shock of all of the students – taught them the basics of the evil curses, and promised them more the following day. The same occurred with the rest of his classes; the students would enter, look around in awe, and then be subjected to Harry's introduction speech – which always finished with McGonagall poking her head in the door and casting the killing curse at the new teacher.

The one class which didn't receive the same treatment was the mixed Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff seventh year Defence Against the Dark Arts class who he had for a double period, and had requested specifically for the rest of the year. The had all filed in, with the same looks of awe, but had a much different reaction to seeing Harry sitting on the stairs at the front of the class. Ron rushed up and clapped Harry on the back, while Harry glanced at the cross-armed Hermione who looked positively thunderous behind him. "Harry mate, where have you been?"

The green-eyed boy looked the red-head right in the eye. "Here."

"Here mate, what do you mean?"

"I mean five points from Gryffindor for interrupting the start of the lesson Ron." Harry stood from his stair and walked over to the blackboard, waving his hand slightly and allowing the chalk to race across the board – leaving a neat "Professor Potter" on its black surface. Ron nearly packed himself right there and then, but Hermione had managed to drag him to his seat before herself looking up at Harry in shock. Harry let a smile crack over his face at the shocked looks. "Okay, let's just call each other by a first name basis in this class. Hermione, I am guessing that you are wondering what the hell I'm doing – as are, judging by the expressions in the room, most of you. I assure you that I am only doing what I am qualified to do – and according to Minerva that is to teach."

"What?"

Harry ignored the red-haired Weasley, and smiled warmly at the rest of the class. "It won't be so different to what we're all used to I imagine – but I assume that you would have all had the immense pleasure of Luna as your Arithmancy teacher today?" A few nods answered his question, and he smiled. "Well both Luna and I have been offered, and have accepted the positions of Professors at Hogwarts – as we both passed out NEWTs early this year with flying colours."

"Bollocks!"

"Another five points from Gryffindor Ronald, if you keep up you rude outbursts then you, singlehandedly, could cause the downfall of our great and mighty House." With a lingering glare, Harry clapped his hands happily. "But onto the lesson. I needn't remind you that a certain red-head is not privy to information concerning a week ago, so let's just refrain from mentioning anything about it. Now – Unforgivable curses."

Quickly, the three curses – along with an additional fourth that nobody had seen before – wrote themselves on the board, and Harry pointed to Neville. "I know for a fact that you have – unfortunately – had experiences involving the Cruciatus, and so I will not ask you to perform it. I would however, ask that you use the Imperius curse on me."

"But Harry-"

"I assure you that I have permission to do this Neville." He grinned. "I ask only that you be lenient in the tasks you try to make me undertake."

With more than a little apprehension on his face, Neville stood from his chair and pointed his wand at Harry. "_Imperio!_"

Harry stood stock-still, and Neville's face was contorted with effort, until his wand dropped and he fell puffing back into his chair. Harry smiled warmly at him. "Excellent effort Neville, I did have to try to not run around acting like a monkey, I assure you." The class laughed at Neville's red face, and Hermione patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, chuckling lightly.

For the next half an hour, Harry had the class pair off and try to resist each other's Imperius curses. By the end of the thirty minutes, virtually every student who had undergone the Occlumency training managed to resist the curse for up to five minutes, an achievement which Harry was very happy with. Ron had no such luck, but the green-eyed Wizard wasn't really paying much attention to him. "Excellent effort guys – and girls. Being able to resist the Imperius curse can save you, your family and your friends – and you're well on the way to resisting it completely. The next curse is a little more…damaging. All of you will be aware of what the Cruciatus curse does, and I am warning you right now that we _will _be performing the curse." He glanced subtly at Neville before speaking again. "You _will_ be subjected to the curse – for a small moment – and so if you wish to leave for the next half-hour I invite you to do so; absolutely no hard feelings."

Harry watched as Hermione took Neville's hand in hers, and a determined look spread across his friend's face. Looking over the rest of the class, he summoned a case of chocolate frogs by his desk and nodded. "In line please. Come up one by one and I will cast the curse. Make sure to grab a chocolate on your way back to your seat – it eases the aches significantly." The screams and whimpers that echoed out in the room were horrible, but Harry could see in their eyes a new appreciation for people who had been subject to it for more than a second – and he then had them perform the curse on human-like dolls that he had conjured; which registered a 'hit' if the curse was powerful enough to cause the excruciating pain which the curse brought with it.

The Avada Kedavra was demonstrated only by Harry – who had Hermione cast it at him, and he had warned that none of them should try and deflect the killing curse themselves – even in a controlled environment. It was with much mystery and whispering – even from Hermione – that they came to the last curse. The words "'_Abyssus in terra'_ Curse" written in large lettering on the board. Harry frowned when he saw that it was time to cover it - the only curse he had not shown his other years – and turned seriously to the class. "I have classified this curse as an Unforgivable."

Hermione put up her hand, and Harry nodded. "I've never heard of it before."

He noted the confused and slightly irritated expression on her face and chuckled humourlessly. "I can see that you find that more than a little infuriating Hermione, but I assure you that once you have seen what it is, you will be glad it's not in any books. The reason that it is not in a book is because I developed it."

"Harry!"

"It was necessary Hermione." She sat back down, taken aback by his scathing tone, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "I hated, and still hate the thought of such a _thing_ existing, and so I am about to ask you a question – a question that I want you to answer honestly. When the final battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters occurs, who in here intends to do a job that does _not_ require you to be on the battlefield?"

About half the hands in the class slowly rose, and Harry nodded appreciatively. "Good. For the remaining people who _do_ intend to fight directly against the Dark Forces, do you have somebody in this room that you love and trust implicitly?" Harry saw a few Witches and Wizards glance at each other but noticed that some people shook their heads. He asked them whether they were somewhere else in the school and, upon receiving nods, gave them all notes to take their trusted person from any class they were attending. Once they had all left, Harry turned to Ron – who hadn't raised his hand at all. "And what do you intend to do Ron?"

"This is bullshit Harry! I don't want to fight, I just want to be a professional Quidditch player – is that too much to ask mate?"

"No, now get out of my class." With a thump, Ron was launched out of the door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and it slammed with a loud bang. Harry turned again to the assembled people. "Who here is _not_ going to fight and is _not_ the trusted person for somebody in this room?" Several hands went up and Harry nodded to the door to his office behind them. "In there will be your new classroom for the rest of the term; I'm sure you'll find your teacher very competent." Looking slightly confused, the handful of students disappeared from sight, and Harry turned back to the assembled group – which had grown now that the students had returned from other classes with their loved ones – none of whom seemed to be family Harry noted with a slight frown.

He briefly told the newcomers why they were there, and then turned very serious as he addressed them. "Who in here _will_ fight, and is _also_ a trusted one?" Once again, sever all people – including Neville and Hermione – raised their hands. He nodded. "I ask that during the time that you are under the curse you keep reasonably close to one another – within ten meters I would suggest; afterwards you are going to want to be next to each other as soon as humanly possible." Once the couples had paired together he turned to the remaining group. "All those who are not in this year; you will not fight, and therefore I ask that you wait in my office with the Healers once I have finished talking – but not before taking once of these coins which will portkey you to your loved ones when you are needed." He pointed to a small bag beside his desk and received nods of understanding.

With a series of pops that he was expecting, Arthur, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Remus, Tonks, Hagrid and Minerva all appeared with their loved ones – some of which were also in the secret Order group. The students looked taken aback by their sudden appearance, and Harry turned back to the class. "The Witches and Wizards behind me will also be fighting with us against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, which is why they are here." He motioned that they should join the class, and then looked gravely at each trusted one in turn. "When you next see your loved ones, they will be different from what you see them as now. When I first experienced what you will experience, I couldn't talk for nearly an entire hour afterwards, and even then the shaking continued.

"What you experience today will be even worse – and even Luna and I have only experienced it ten times, and yet we still find ourselves shaken afterwards – and trust me when I say that that is saying something." He looked over the assembled group once again. "When you see them, you might be horrified at how shaken they are, but they will need you to look past that and be beside them. This is your last chance to pull out – once we start doing this, I will continue subjecting you to this curse until it no longer fazes you. You will feel burning, and pain that I can only liken to the Cruciatus, and will see things that _will_ be with you until you die – but with the love which I can see all of you hold for one another, you will be able to heal from it." He looked over the faces of the people in front of him, and felt an immense pride when none of them backed down. He nodded. "The thing to remember is that it is all an illusion, no matter how much it feels like reality. If you are not participating, please go into my office, and remember to take a portkey on your way."

Harry and the warriors watched as the stream of people filed into his office, and everyone jumped at the very final clang when the door shut behind them. Harry turned to the assembled group of about fifty and sighed. "Last chance guys…" After five seconds of silence he nodded. "Okay then. Everybody who can apparate – take somebody who can't and apparate onto the Quidditch Pitch." Once they all disappeared, Harry mentally went through his link to Luna. "_I'm going to need you down there._"

In the staffroom, which was quite empty apart from Professor Snape, Luna sat up from her seat and squeezed through the apparation-space onto the Quidditch field, where Harry caught her in his arms and lowered her to the ground before facing everybody. "I will now cast the curse. Please be aware that none of you will need to be able to do this yourselves, I will be the one casting it over the battlefield where we face Voldemort. At their nods, Harry closed his eyes. "Ready yourselves, and spread out." Once he felt Luna squeeze his hand he forcefully broke through his limiters and cast the curse, forcing the memory he and Luna had modified - to be even more horrifying than it already had been – into the air around the Quidditch stadium.

Harry knew it had worked when he felt the flames licking his skin, and he had to force himself not to scream in pain. Slowly he cracked open his eyes, and the hell that he had created filled his eyes. He could felt as if his eyes were burning in their sockets, but forced the horror and pain back to look around him. Burning flesh hung from the ruins of what used to be the Quidditch towers, and he nearly vomited when he saw Luna hung, dead, from one of the hoops far above him – only managing to stay sane by reminding himself that she was standing near him. He stood from his kneeling position and breathed in the air that felt like acid to his lungs, and he began walking through the horrors around him. Some of them were too ghastly to even describe, and the demons above screamed terrifyingly at his, and his friends' pain, horror and suffering. He braved the horrific plane for the next twenty minutes – coming across his students and teachers screaming in agony every minute – but knowing that they had to face it themselves. Slowly a flaming figure through a pile of flaming entrails, and he reached out to grab Luna's hand – clutching her to his chest when he felt her cool skin against his own.

He began muttering in Latin, furiously gathering the power he needed to break through the illusion, before snapping open his eyes and yelling furiously at the hell around them. In a mere second, the illusion disappeared like dust in the wind, and Harry immediately raised his hand, calling to the portkeys even before evaluating the condition of his fellow Witches and Wizards. With a flash, the group which had been waiting anxiously in his office appeared in the middle of the grassy field, and took in the sight with looks of fright. The people who had come through the illusion lay spread out around the field – although Harry noticed that several had dragged themselves over to their partners – blood seeping from the wounds they had inflicted upon themselves – trying to rip the burning skin away with their fingers, and vomiting onto the ground.

True to their promise however, the shocked group rushed to the sides of their loved ones and immediately clung to them. The recovery of the entire group took over an hour, although Harry and Luna had managed to pull away from the terror within only minutes, but both of them knew that before the night was done a lot more tears would be shed as they recollected their time in the hell on Earth. Slowly Harry led them all back into the centre of the green field, and he sat in the middle of the assembled group, silent for a few minutes before speaking. "Dumbledore gave that memory to Luna in an attempt to stop her from loving me." Hermione's pained eyes shot up to look at the softly-spoken Ravenclaw who was holding to Harry's hand, shocked. "And this is what we will fight Voldemort and his followers in. We will fight where we will send them. They say they are fearless, but I doubt that even Voldemort will be safe from this horror."

He turned to McGonagall, who had tears running down her cheeks, and her husband who had apparated with her with his arm around her shoulders. "I think Minerva, that we should allow an exception for these students to be exempt from the 'sleeping together' rule for the entirety of their training; they will need their loved ones more than ever."

At her nod, Harry summoned a small, black case which he had ordered from Knockturn Alley the previous night. He opened the top of it and slowly begun handing out small vials with black liquid inside. "Dreamless sleep," he explained. "I found that even this doesn't stop the nightmares though – but it will dampen and calm them considerably." He looked at Hermione. "I suggest you all take it until you begin to get used to the battlefield on which we will fight – and even then…" He handed a vial to Luna and then pocketed the last one himself. "I will provide you with the potion at the end of each session. If you require anything, and I mean _anything_, do not hesitate to see either me or Luna; we both feel horribly guilty for even subjecting you to such a curse." Knowing that none of them would be ready to speak for probably another hour, he nodded to them all. "Once we have finished this, everyone will know of your sacrifice. Please take the rest of the day off – the first time is always the worst."

"Neville, forget the demons – get the targets!" Hurriedly the black-haired Gryffindor tore his gaze away from the horrific demon that was circling above him, and cast a blasting hex at one of the Death Eater targets that Harry had summoned. "Good! Seamus, keep up the pace! Parvati, keep your eyes of that burning – well whatever it is, Luna – watch your back!" Harry flitted furiously around the battlefield, completely ignoring the disgusting smells and sights around him, and yelling to his teammates. "Hagrid, now!"

Outside of the Quidditch pitch, and so out of the influence of the curse, Hagrid let seven of the largest, most brutal dragons he had ever seen from their cages and into the protective shields surrounding the hellfield, and ran to Professor Sprout who apparated him out of there as fast as she could – just as Harry had sold her to. Immediately from inside the shields, Harry expanded the field of hell to cover not only the Quidditch pitch, but indeed the entire school grounds. Students in the main castle watched in absolute awe and astonishment as they watched the small black dots in the – to them – completely normal Quidditch pitch fired amazingly intense spells at the creatures, and unseen enemies. What it was like for the people inside the battleground however, was very different. As soon as the onyx-black Dragons entered the illusion, they were immediately in their element – and the eyes of his friends had widened at the sight. Almost immediately however, they all began to fight like they had trained, clearly under no illusions that the dragons they were seeing were not illusions, and that their lives were really in danger. Shielding each other from the intense blasts of fire, the Witches and Wizards leaped forward, their eyes blazing and their wands and hands flashing with power.

Harry leapt onto the ruins of a three-storey building, and screamed a curse in his mind that ripped through one of the Dragon's armour as if it didn't even exist. Infuriated that it had been injured, the dragon whipped its head around to face Harry, and he pulled his shields into existence just before he was engulfed in white-hot flames, singing his clothes and melting the rock surrounding him like it was butter. He felt his shields losing their power, and was just about to jump out of the way when he felt several people join his side, and bolster his defences. He turned his head and grinned when he saw Luna, Neville, Cho and Hermione standing beside him. "I need a boost!"

Neville nodded and took a step back from the shields holding his arm out to Harry. The raven-haired Wizard gripped firmly onto his friend's forearm. "Where to Harry?" He yelled over the flames. Harry stabbed his finger furiously at the Dragon's head above him. "Are you kidding me?"

Harry shook his head furiously, and Neville groaned. Slowly his arm turned blue and small flames begun to lick at the two men's sleeves. The entire school watched in absolute awe and astonishment when – with a small, blinding flash – one of the small black pinpricks that they had realized only moments before were actually Wizards, flew upwards towards the massive dragon's head, only just missing several bursts of flame from the other dragons as he flew. Harry felt the wind flying through his hair, and blasted several of the flying daemons that were surrounding him away before turning his attention to the red-eyed, black-scaled beast head in front of him. With a roar that resembled that of the dragon's, Harry raised his hand and ploughed it directly into the head of the demonic creature, before taking hold and ripping himself downwards – his body surrounded by a blue aura. Neville, Cho, and indeed every other student that was watching, held their breaths.

The fighters broke away from the sight and rushed to help their other teammates in need – but hurriedly turned around when a massive blast shook the ground. The dragon which had angered one Mr Potter collapsed to the ground with a thunderous boom that even upset the other Dragons, and from the steaming crater at the base of the beast emerged Harry Potter – glowing blue and with dragon blood running down his arms. He ran towards his team, blasting through apparation-space to get there, and immediately joined them in fighting the five remaining creatures. For two hours the battle raged, until finally the last dragon fell, and Harry collapsed the field with a swipe of his hand.

Every single student that had been watching the spectacle had gathered outside the school gates, and slowly parted to allow the procession of bloodied, but powerful Witches and Wizards pass through them. Eventually the congregation entered the Room of Requirement, and they all collapsed onto the carpet with identical grins of achievement on their faces. Harry cast a quick _Scourgify_ on the assembled group, and then dragged himself onto one of the couches with Luna sitting beside him. He looked at every face in turn, and got a respectful nod in return. Eventually he came to Remus – who gave him a small nod and held up five fingers. Harry nodded and carried on with his inspection of the group and, finding them all settled in, turned to Luna, who said the three words that she thought needed to be said. "We were awesome."

The tension in the room seemed to deflate like a balloon, and people began chuckling in relief and clapping each other on the back, or engulfing each other in hugs. Eventually everything quietened down again, and Harry's smiled faded slightly. "We're there. When it really came down to it, you completely ignored the hell around you and fought like Aurors dream about." He gave a small nod to Bill Weasley. "Bill found those dragons _in a volcano_. Not around a volcano, but _in_ one. We were in their element 100%, and yet we still came out on top."

He stood from his seat and nodded to a pile of crates by the door. "Grab a box of dreamless sleep on your way out, because in five days we face Voldemort."

Voldemort had been waiting for the day he would finally kill Harry Potter. He had waited eighteen long years, eighteen years of pain and suffering, eighteen years of _defeat_. He stood, looking over the dark, cracked ground around them and grinned at the place he had chosen for the battle. It was what was left of Durmstrang School, and the only regret he had about destroying it was that only two hundred people had been inside at the time. "My Lord."

He snarled and turned to face the greasy-haired Death Eater. "What is it Severus – you've hardly been very informative as of late, and now you come here to fight beside me?"

"My Lord, I came to tell you about Potter. He-"

"Will die," The Dark Lord hissed. His red eyes flashed at Snape. "You don't contact me for months, and now you come here with urgent news? _CRUCIO!" _With a scream, the potions teacher collapsed to the ground, and writhed in agony – but only until Voldemort saw a slight glow on the horizon. With a gasp, Severus was released from the Unforgivable – and Voldemort sneered evilly at the force on the opposite end of the island. It was larger than he had expected it to be – and he couldn't see Dumbledore… "Harry!" He called out over the ruins, and he saw one of the crowd separate; taking a step forward.

"Tom! How nice to see you again."

The Dark Lord snarled at his given name, but refrained from acting before the time was right. "So full of hate Harry."

Harry frowned from his side of the battlefield, and turned to get a second opinion from Remus; mouthing 'Do I look pissed or something?', and receiving a roll of the eyes and a shake of his head in return. "Well Tom, today is the day I believe. This battle is going to end it all."

"Indeed Harry, but I think it will be me who walks away from this place." He smiled nastily over at the young man, but took a step back when something flared from the hill behind the Wizard – before fading to a dim, orange glow once again. "Does Dumbledore hide from me behind that hill? Too afraid to face me?"

Harry's eyes glowed green in the dusk light, and his smile was purely carnivorous. "Not quite Tom; I'm afraid you'll be joining Dumbledore quite soon though."

"Oh, and where's tha-"He didn't have time to finish his question, for the glow behind Harry flared upwards, and it a mere second had covered the entire battlefield; turning it into the fiery Hell that him and his warriors had come to know very well. There was no warning for the horror; the Death Eaters were simply engulfed in the deafening flames and had fallen to the ground, screaming as their eyes were singed from their sockets – allowing the Hell to invade their minds. Those who had withstood the flames were faced with another, arguably more terrifying horror; the sights surrounding them. Many of the dark Wizards had collapsed right there and then, and several of them had taken to blindly screaming and firing curses up at the sky where the demons flew.

Those that had managed to stay even the tiniest bit sane through these sights had no time to acclimatise before Harry and his friends were upon them. Their black robes flashed through the Death Eaters like the smoke of Hell itself, demolishing their defences and killing those that were lying, insane on the ground with ferocious curses that made even the Dark Lord himself shake. As his me fought and fell in front of him, or at least those that hadn't succumbed to the terrors of Hell, he saw Harry Potter, his hand ablaze with white light, running through his masked warriors, tearing right through them – his teeth bared and his green eyes fixed on the target in front of him. Voldemort had tensed as the young man had come near, but had been in no way prepared for the absolutely predatory attack that met him. Harry lifted the Dark Lord right off his feet before sending him into the heart of the flames to smash brutally against the ruins of the school. Voldemort dragged himself to his feet and brought his wand up to face the young man who as approaching – a murderous look in his eyes.

With a swish, a curse flew forwards and Harry ducked to protect himself, before furiously attacking the evil creature in front of him. Voldemort expertly manoeuvred Harry's attacks, and gave back as good as he got; even managing to catch Harry across his back with a slicking hex – which for some reason healed as soon as it appeared. The duellers sprinted and weaved between the Hell that surrounded them, casting powerful spells which sent shockwaves right across the battleground, and huge waves of power shoot upwards into the bloody sky. Voldemort was struggling to keep up with the younger Wizard's pace, and unbeknownst to him Harry was feeling much the same; growing tired with the three-hour-long effort of defending himself against the Dark Lord. The Dark Wizard snarled in triumph as he sent Harry's wand spinning into a nearby pile of flames, and launched forwards grabbing his opponent around his neck and slamming his head against a crumbling stone wall. Harry looked into Voldemort's triumphant eyes with disgust, and planted his hand on the abomination's chest.

Voldemort looked into Harry's piercing eyes and grinned sadistically. "You know Harry; I've always wanted to do this." With a yell, Harry's ribs all snapped inwards, and the young Wizard's eyes shot open as he felt them tear into his organs. Voldemort smiled his evil smile, and was about to say something when he felt something that he couldn't believe was happening. The pressure inside Harry's chest was increasing, and slowly his damaged ribs snapped back into place, sealing themselves back together with a painful hiss. Voldemort glared at the young man with absolute loathing in his eyes – before catching sight of a pale white hand that was clutching to his opponent's arm. With a look of glee in his eyes, Voldemort swung his wand down – a slicing hex on the tip of his tongue, but found himself slammed face first into the exact wall he had been pressing Harry up against only moments before. He tried to groan in pain as his face impacted against the stone with a violent crunch – but found his speech blocked by a stream of blood that trickled out of his mouth. "Nobody hurts Luna. End of discussion."

Harry murmured a quick succession of Latin and Celtic spells, and concentrated firmly on his hand which was buried in Voldemort's back. With a white flash, his hand pushed through the clothes, and Voldemort gasped as he felt the intrusion. The white pulses continued, and Harry tore his fist upwards on the final blast – causing the ground around him to freeze – and then there was silence. Harry collapsed to his knees, and felt himself caught by a pair of familiar arms, hearing her familiar quiet sobs, and feeling her smooth skin on his. With a wave, the disgusting battleground disappeared, and immediately there was the pops of apparation as hundreds of healers appeared on the field before rushing to the injured.

Harry just sat there, listening to his fiancé's heartbeat through her robes and gently stroking the arms that were wrapped around his waist from behind. With a heave, he brought himself unsteadily to his feet, and pulled his girlfriend into an embrace, where he finally let himself cry his relief.

It was over.


	12. Epilogue

"Mr Potter? Auror Longbottom wishes to see you just over there." The official looking man pointed to a rocky outcrop about a hundred meters to the green-eyed man's left, and Harry nodded his thanks before – with a tiny squeak – he popped right through the anti-Apparation wards and into existence at Neville's side.

Neville glanced happily up at him, and took his hand in a firm shake before dragging him down behind the dark rocks him and three other Aurors were hiding behind. Seamus ran over to Harry, and was followed closely after by Pavarti Patil and Susan Bones – who skidded to a halt beside the small group and hurriedly took cover as a storm of spells impacted against the rocks around them. Harry closed his eyes and then took count of the forces they were facing, stunned when he discovered that the attacks that were decimating the granite were coming from a mere group of four. "You know we're going to be late at this rate Neville!" The look in the young man's eyes clearly conveyed that he _did_ know, and wasn't overly happy with it either. Harry peeked over the ledge, and quickly deflected a green jet with a powerful shield.

The group with which he stood was perhaps the most feared Aurorial force in the world – dubbed Hell Watchers by the dark wizards which they hunted; a name which they had happily taken aboard. Straight out of Hogwarts, the entire group that fought against Voldemort had been offered places in the elite team, but Amelia Bones had been unbelievably surprised when only four had taken her up on the offer – and indeed had nearly fainted when Harry was not among the few that had. Although Harry had steadfastly refused the offer, he still found himself called into the occasional battle – and so it was with immense glee that his first year Defence Against the Dark Arts students saw him off after he had received the summons – forcing him to promise to tell them all about it the next day. There was only one reason Neville or any other of his friends would call him into a battle, as they knew that he didn't overly like engaging in such violent acts – acts which he had assured himself he had certainly had his fair share of in his life. After looking over the battleground one last time, he ducked back behind the rock and turned to Pavarti. "Who are they?"

She smiled up at him, something akin to excitement in her eyes. "It's them Harry; the last of them remaining."

Harry's mouth dropped an inch. "Then Draco is…" She nodded, and he peered back over the wall of stone. "Who else?"

"We can't be sure, but we think it's Pansy, Bellatrix and Rudolph."

Harry's eyes hardened at the mention of the latter two – the only two Death Eaters that had managed to escape the Battle in his final year against Voldemort alive – and rumour had it that the hell he had put them through had only served to further their insanity. He hoped they were ready, because they were about to face it once again. "Are there any Aurors in our field?"

Neville nodded, and Harry's eyes were hard-set as he glanced at his long-time friend. "Get them out of here." Ten minutes later, the Aurors that had been waiting outside a barrier that Neville had established found themselves nearly vomiting at the tortured screams that came from inside the apparently normal battleground – but which they had all been warned was anything but. Finally, after a further ten minutes, the Aurors holding the barrier tensed when they saw movement from the hill in front of them – but relaxed when they saw Harry talking furiously with Pavarti and Seamus. They passed through the barrier without a second glance, and the clean-up team, also specifically trained for the sometimes horrific mess they had to erase, rushed inside where the warriors had just come from.

"Please Parvati – honestly, Hermione and Luna will kill me if I don't get there in time with Harry!" The dark-skinned woman hummed, as if in deep thought, and Harry snickered behind his hand when he saw the terrified look spread across his friend's face.

"Hmmm, fine, but you owe me Neville – you owe me _big time_."

"Ohmigodthankyou!" And with a rush, he grabbed Harry's arm and apparated away.

With a pop, the two men tumbled onto a thankfully very accommodating meadow – and Harry looked at his watch, but was bet to the comment by a musical voice from behind them. "You're lucky Neville, had you brought Harry back only two seconds later I would have been forced to use that transfiguration charm when you appeared."

Neville paled considerably at the blonde's threat, but Harry pulled himself off the flowers and pulled the young woman into a light embrace. "Sorry I missed you – Neville caught me just at the end of last period."

Luna grinned up at him and pecked him lightly on the cheek. "No problem Harry; your students all came looking for me as soon as school ended and told me."

He smiled warmly. "They're good kids." Another voice came from behind Luna's back, and Harry looked over to see the brunette being pulled into a hug by Neville – both of them smiling happily. Eventually Neville got up the courage to give Luna a hug, and Harry embraced his best friend happily. "I heard that you gave one Justin Weasley a detention today 'Mione…"

She pulled back and placed her hands on her hips with a disapproving huff. "I swear that boy is growing up to be just like his father – and I know that Fred enjoys teaching the poor boy how to pull pranks as well."

Harry just laughed at the very McGonagall look on the young witches face and pulled her inside the Lovegood home, where Xenophilius met a surprised Harry in a fatherly hug. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

The eccentric man smiled at Harry. "Luna sent me a letter inviting me over for dinner tonight; apparently she has some very important news for all of us."

Harry frowned and peered over Xeno's shoulder at his wife, a questioning look in his eyes. With a light twinkle in her eye, she sent him a quick message to meet her in the kitchen. Harry excused himself from his father-in-law with a confused look on his face, and headed immediately to meet his wife. He wasn't surprised to see Fawkes gulping down quite a large turkey drumstick when he entered the room, and made sure to clap him lightly over his head when he let out a rather loud burp. Properly chastised, and realizing that his Master was home; the bird ate with a little more reservation as Harry walked over to where Luna was carefully chopping the carrots in preparation for dinner. "Would you mind peeling the potatoes Harry?"

Harry nodded and automatically picked up the potato-peeler, and begun to manually strip them of their skins. "So what's the big news?"

"Well you know haven't been feeling well lately?"

Harry stopped peeling and looked over worriedly. "Yes, did you find out what was wrong?"

She nodded; a slight frown on her normally peaceful face. "I really did think that I just had a bad case of Wrapplesticking Fogspurts, but the Healer at St Mungo's Hospital assured me it wasn't."

Harry was waiting anxiously for her to speak again, and was taken aback when she turned to him, her face aglow with happiness. It took a moment for it to all sink in for the young man – but when it did his eyes flew down to where her hand was resting on her stomach, and they widened. "No, surely not…" His eyes flew back to her face, and she gave a happy nod. Harry stood still for a few seconds, but soon felt an earth-shattering grin spill out over his face as he pulled his wife to him in a loving embrace; tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "You mean, we're going to be parents?" He choked out, and she nodded – sobbing happily into his chest.

The three guests didn't see their two hosts until dinner was served, and it was with great surprised that they all found the married couple in the kitchen arguing frantically. "James Sirus." Harry said with finality, and Luna glared back at him – but with a slight smile on her lips which spoke volumes about just how serious the dispute was.

"Fine, but if you want that, then it's Elizabeth Marie."

Harry looked at a loss at what to do, but after a minute's hard thinking, he seemed to come to a decision. "A compromise," he offered, "Sirius Xeno, and Elizabeth Lilly."

Luna didn't even need to think about the agreement, because the result was exactly as she had been planning the entire time. "Deal." At her quick reply, Harry's face fell – knowing that he had been manipulated into exactly the position his wife had wanted him – but he had already resigned himself to the agreement, and so took her outstretched hand, acting slightly disgruntled.

Luna knew that it was all an act and that he was as happy with the result as she was – but it was at this point that Hermione piped up from behind them, deftly sipping at her tea. "What's this all about then?"

Luna turned back to the oven and pulled the pork roast from within its fiery depths, her voice completely light and conversational. "Oh nothing much; Harry and I were just discussing the names for our first child."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, and looked slightly disapproving. "Isn't it a bit early to be thinking about that?"

Harry shrugged and picked up the plate of potatoes before heading through to the dining room, calling behind him. "I don't know about you Hermione, but I really don't think that nine months is _that_ far away."

Hermione spat the tea she had been sipping all over Neville as she spun furiously around, and glanced at Harry's beaming face. "What?"

Luna passed by the still-shocked brunette holding the steaming pork in its dish in-between gloved fingers, smiling dreamily as she walked past. "Yes, I was quite surprised when I found out too Hermione."

Xenophilius was the first to congratulate the pair, and had engulfed them both in a hug with tears streaming down his cheeks, whispering to his daughter that her mother was very proud of her; that he could feel his wife's happiness in his bones. This caused the younger Lovegood to burst into a new round of tears, and Harry had followed suit quite quickly – embracing the mother of his child tenderly and stroking her hair. Eventually – after quite some time – the tears had stopped, and the five witches and wizards sat down for dinner. After Hermione had gotten over her complete and utter shock, she had followed Neville's example and heartily congratulated the pair – and it was at a very late hour that the married couple's guests finally apparated and flooed away.

Harry sat on their couch, his wife lying beside him; the flames from the fire casting dreamy shards of light over their bodies, and Harry's hand which was held by Luna's on her stomach. Harry gave his wife a tender smiled, and pressed his lips to hers in something that conveyed his complete love for her. "Thank you so much Luna."

"What for?"

He smiled into the flames, and thought back to his memories. "I always wanted a family; I wanted to give my children the love that I never had – and now you've not only given me that, but you've given me all that you are. You've bound yourself to me for eternity, and I- I just can't thank you enough for what that means to me."

The silver-eyed woman by his side nuzzled his nose with hers softly; his words touching her deeper than he realized. "Thank you for loving me Harry."

He smiled warmly down into his wife's eyes, and he saw a future together that promised happiness in her deep, comforting orbs. With a gentle finger he stroked her smooth cheek, and placed a soft but loving kiss on her cheek.

He was ready to begin living.

**A/N: Well that's me finished folks, hope you enjoyed the story!**


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